Legislation

Posted 1/13/20

 The American Workers Act of 2020

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1.  As it currently stands the United States is at the most wealth despair point in its history. With 1% of the population having over 40% of the wealth, social mobility to the middle and upper class is at a 50-year low, and wage growth is half of what it used to be 40 years ago. That is why the United States will put in place an annual deduction to incentivize corporations to raise wages annually.

SECTION 2.   Corporate Taxes are defined as: A direct tax imposed by a jurisdiction on the income or capital of corporations or analogous legal entities. An assessment levied by a government on the profits of a company.

SECTION 3.  The Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service shall oversee and enforce this piece of legislation.

A.    The deduction is a 5% reduction on a corporation’s annual federal  corporate tax rate for every 10% increase in wages on all their employees.

B.    The deduction is a one-time deduction for the year and a cap of 20% per year.

SECTION 4.   This legislation shall be implemented immediately upon passage.

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

Introduced for Congressional Debate by American Preparatory Academy 

The Tariff Power Reclamation Act of 2020

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 SECTION 1. No tariffs may be imposed by the United States without approval from

3 both houses of Congress.

4 SECTION 2. For the purposes of this legislation, “tariffs” shall be defined as any taxes

5 imposed on goods imported from outside the United States that are not

6 imposed on similar goods from within the United States.

7 SECTION 3. This legislation shall go into effect immediately.

8 SECTION 4. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

The Congressional 2030 Decade Challenge

1 WHEREAS, man-made climate change is one of the biggest and most pressing crises facing the United

2 States; and

3 WHEREAS, it is in the interest of the United States to set goals for the next decade; now, therefore, be

4 it

5 RESOLVED, by the Congress here assembled that by January 1st, 2030, the United States shall:

6 (A) Fully eliminate carbon emissions.

7 (B) Meet 100 percent of the domestic power demand through clean, renewable, and zero-emission     

8 energy sources.

9 (C) Spearhead a new international agreement to aggressively combat the effects and causes of climate

10 change.

11 (D) Begin mitigating and managing the long-term adverse health, economic, and other effects of

12 pollution and climate change.

13 (E) Substantially reduce federal subsidies to meat manufacturers.

14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a new federal agency, the Department of Environmental Security,

15 shall be established to facilitate the United States’ pursuit of these goals.

The Universal Pre-K Act of 2020

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 SECTION 1. The United States Federal Government shall provide grants to all states

3 for the implementation of a Universal Preschool program.

4 SECTION 2. States will be responsible for the distribution of grants and the

5 implementation of the Universal Preschool programs.

6 SECTION 3. States shall retain the right to refuse the grant funding in Section 1 of this

7 legislation and the right to not establish a Universal Preschool program.

8 SECTION 4. Funding for the grants mandated by Section 1 of this legislation shall be

9 derived from the Department of Education’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget.

10 SECTION 5. This legislation shall be implemented by the Department of Education.

11 SECTION 6. This legislation shall go into effect on October 1st, 2021.

12 SECTION 7. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

The Animal Compassion Act of 2020

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 SECTION 1. It shall be unlawful for a pet store operator to sell a live dog, cat, or rabbit

3 in a pet store unless the dog, cat, or rabbit was obtained from a public

4 animal control agency or shelter, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

5 Animals shelter, Humane Society shelter, or rescue group that is in a

6 cooperative agreement with at least one private or public shelter.

7 SECTION 2. For purposes of this legislation, a “rescue group” is an organization that is

8 tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and

9 that does not obtain animals from breeders or brokers for compensation.

10 SECTION 3. A pet store operator who violates this section shall be subject to a civil

11 penalty of five hundred dollars ($500). Each animal offered for sale in

12 violation of this section shall constitute a separate violation.

13 SECTION 4. This legislation shall be implemented by the Department of Agriculture.

14 SECTION 5. This legislation shall go into effect on April 16th, 2021.

15 SECTION 6. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void

The Healthcare Security Act of 2020

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 SECTION 1. No employer, public or private, may require a waiting period after the

3 beginning of employment for any health insurance benefits to become

4 effective.

5 SECTION 2. For the purposes of this legislation, “health insurance benefits” shall be

6 defined as any employee compensation benefits consisting of medical

7 care (provided directly, through insurance or reimbursement, or

8 otherwise and including items and services paid for as medical care)

9 under any hospital or medical service policy or certificate, hospital or

10 medical service plan contract, or health maintenance organization

11 contract offered by a health insurance issuer.

12 SECTION 3. This legislation shall go into effect on July 3rd, 2021.

13 SECTION 4. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

A Resolution to Amend the Constitution to Allow Line Item Vetoes

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 RESOLVED, By two-thirds of the Congress here assembled, that the following article

3 is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States,

4 which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution

5 when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states

6 within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress:

7 ARTICLE 28

8 SECTION 1. The Congress shall have the power to empower the President to sign only

9 a portion of bills sent to them for approval.

10 SECTION 2. The President may only exercise this power when explicitly granted the

11 authority to do so by an act of Congress.

12 SECTION 3. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate

13 legislation.

A Resolution to Amend the Constitution to Regard Solitary Confinement as Cruel and Unusual Punishment

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 RESOLVED, By two-thirds of the Congress here assembled, that the following article

3 is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States,

4 which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution

5 when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states

6 within seven years from the date of its submission by the Congress:

7 ARTICLE 28

8 SECTION 1. No inmate in any prison or jail within the jurisdiction of the United States

9 shall be confined alone in a cell without the opportunity to see or speak

10 to other persons for more than fourteen (14) hours in one day.

11 SECTION 2. Any violation of Section 1 of this article shall be considered an act of Cruel and Unusual

12 Punishment under the 8^th article of amendment to the United States Constitution.

13 SECTION 3. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

The Agricultural Free Trade Act of 2020

1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

2 SECTION 1. The United States Federal Government shall cease providing monetary

3 subsidies to agricultural producers within the United States.

4 SECTION 2. The United States shall cease engaging in any and all trade activities with

5 any foreign countries who provide monetary subsidies to agricultural

6 producers within their borders. SECTION 3. This legislation shall go into effect on April 8th, 2025.

7 SECTION 4. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.

 A Resolution to Allow Convicted Felons to Vote

1.         WHEREAS,    In 13 states convicted felons are not allowed to vote indefinitely,

2.                                 or require a governor’s pardon in order to restore their

3.                                 right to vote, and

4.         WHEREAS,    Approximately 2.5% of voting-age citizens are not currently

5.                                 incarcerated but unable to vote due to previous felony

6.                                 convictions and

7.         WHEREAS,    This percentage of the population is not represented by current

8.                                 election results and therefore, such results are inaccurate and

9.                                 biased, now, be it

10.       RESOLVED,  By this Congress that; convicted felons who have served their

11.                               sentence within the United States prison system and have now

12.                               returned to society, are able to vote nationwide.

A Bill to increase minimum wage nationwide

BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

SECTION 1. The current minimum wage is 7.25, which has not kept pace with the rate of inflation. The current rate of minimum wage results dirrectly in poverty-level income for a family of 2 or more and does not correspond with the modern cost of living.

SECTION 2. The national minimum wage standard will be set to 12.50,

SECTION 3. Wage and Hour Division (WHD) shall oversee this bill.

SECTION 4. This bill shall be implemented January 2021.

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

A Resolution to Preserve the Open Internet

WHEREAS, one of the primary responsibilities of the Federal Communications Commission is to protect American consumers; and

WHEREAS, the creation of “fast lanes” precludes the possibility of an open internet, one that ensures equitable access to information; and

WHEREAS, deregulation encourages price increases from Internet service providers; and

WHEREAS, the internet has cemented itself as a new forum for expression; and

WHEREAS, that freedom must be protected under the provisions of the 1st Amendment; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that the principles of net neutrality be upheld, and that the internet remain an open source of information, in observance of public interest.