Congress Legislation for Varsity

Full Description of Legislation can be found on the Topics page on the NSDA Website (speechanddebate.org)

Or click here to download the entire docket

SCDL VARSITY Congress Legislation:

A Resolution to End the Cuban Trade Embargo 

1 WHEREAS, The embargo is currently economically devastating Cuba and creating a national  

2 humanitarian crisis, while also economically disadvantaging the United States and acting  

3 counter-productive towards efforts of liberalization; and 

4 WHEREAS, It is estimated that the United States loses $1.2 billion per year in sales and  

5 exports and that the embargo has cost Cuba more than $130 billion since it began in 1960  

6 which, coupled with the ramifications of COVID-19, will cause its economy to shrink an  

7 additional 10% in the next fiscal year; and 

8 WHEREAS, Extending diplomacy and softening U.S. policy and restrictions has previously  

9 caused the Cuban government to relax regulations on remittances and travel to Cuba and  

10 create economic reforms including decentralizing the agricultural sector and expanding access  

11 to goods; and 

12 WHEREAS, The use of the embargo has proven ineffective, while extending diplomatic  

13 measures achieved the political and economic liberalization the embargo unsuccessfully  

14 attempted to incentivize, which were only reversed when the full extent of the embargo was re 

15 implemented; now, therefore, be it 

16 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled ends the Cuban trade embargo. 

A Bill to Prohibit Paid Political Advertisements 

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 

2 SECTION 1. Paid political advertisements, either by individuals or political parties, will be  

3 banned. 

4 SECTION 2. The following definition will apply: Political advertisements are defined as any  

5 advertisement through the media aimed to influence a matter that is currently at the center of  

6 political debate. These advertisements can concern a political party, candidate, or a dominant  

7 political issue.  

8 SECTION 3. The Federal Election Commission will oversee the implementation of this  

9 legislation and allocate time for broadcasting slots. 

10 SECTION 4. This legislation shall go into effect immediately upon passage.  

11 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 

Climate Change Act of 2020 

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 

2 SECTION 1. The United States will produce 80% of its power from renewable energy sources  

3 by 2050 with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions.  

4 A. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will institute a carbon tax of $20 per  

5 pound of carbon produced.  

6 B. $3 billion in subsidies will be allocated towards renewable energy sources. 

7 C. An independent review board will be established to process research and provide  

8 advice to governmental agencies concerning the sustainability of renewable  

9 energy usage.  

10 SECTION 2. Renewable energy will encompass solar power, wind power, hydroelectric power,  

11 geothermal power, tidal power, and biomass.  

12 SECTION 3. The EPA will oversee the enforcement of this legislation. 

13 A. The EPA will work alongside the independent review board to monitor progress  

14 and compliance.  

15 SECTION 4. This legislation shall go into effect January 1, 2021.  

16 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 

A Bill to Combat the Gender Pay Gap 

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 

2 SECTION 1. Congress shall implement the following reforms to combat unequal pay: 

3 A. Enhance nonretaliation prohibitions. 

4 B. Limit the use of the bona fide factor defense to claims of wage discrimination. 

5 C. Eliminate the requirement of employees to sign a contract prohibiting discussion  

6 about an employee’s wages. 

7 SECTION 2. The following definitions will apply: 

8 A. Bona fide facto defense is the practice that allows employers to state that  

9 discrimination was based on a bona fide occupational qualification. 

10 B. Nonretaliation policies mean that no retaliatory action may be taken against  

11 employees for reporting corporate ethical violations in good faith. 

12 SECTION 3. The Department of Labor will oversee the enforcement of this legislation and will  

13 receive $10 million to carry out the following: 

14 A. Create a grant program for outreach to gender minorities for negotiation training  

15 programs. 

16 B. Conduct studies to reveal the disparity of pay currently in the workplace and  

17 make results of the research public. 

18 SECTION 4. This legislation shall go into effect January 1, 2021.  

19 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 

A Resolution to Remove Sanctions Against North Korea 

1 WHEREAS, Sanctions have done little to incentivize Kim Jong-Un from experimenting with  

2 nuclear weapons, but it has pushed North Korean citizens further into a humanitarian crisis  

3 while allowing the North Korean government to use international sanctions as viable proof of the  

4 antagonistic actions of the West; and 

5 WHEREAS, Currently over 10 million North Korean citizens are in need of humanitarian aid  

6 and many have been surviving on less than 300g of food per day, while between 2012 and  

7 2019, North Korea conducted 91 nuclear tests despite international economic sanctions; and 

8 WHEREAS, The sanctions are preventing the United States from using soft power to  

9 negotiate with North Korea, but the North Korean government has found alternative trade  

10 channels in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa to evade some of the impacts of  

11 sanctions, resulting in their inefficacy; and 

12 WHEREAS, North Korea’s humanitarian crisis will only worsen without external change,  

13 resulting in the deaths of millions of North Korean citizens; now, therefore, be it 

14 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled make the following recommendation to  

15 remove economic sanctions against North Korea; and, be it 

16 FURTHER RESOLVED, That the United States extends nuanced negotiation efforts and aid  

17 packages to the North Korean government. 

A Resolution to Allocate Funding to the United States Postal Service 

1 WHEREAS, The United States Postal Service (USPS) does not have sustainable capital  

2 inflow and is projected to run out of funding; and 

3 WHEREAS, First-class mail volume has decreased by more than 30% over the past decade  

4 and in 2019 the USPS’ net loss rose to $8.8 billion and currently has more than $160 billion in  

5 unpaid liabilities; and 

6 WHEREAS, The reduction in mail sorting machines, overtime hours for mail carriers and  

7 after-hours deliveries has significantly slowed the process of mail delivery and, consequently,  

8 may not meet deadlines for delivering voting ballots for the elections in November of 2020; and 

9 WHEREAS, It is forecasted that the USPS will run out of funding by April 2021 without  

10 substantial financial action and, until then, will not be able to efficiently guarantee mail delivery  

11 services; now, therefore, be it 

12 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled allocate $20 billion to support the United  

13 States Postal Service.