Assignment:
"A government of laws, and not of men."So said John Adams, one of our Founding Fathers. Whether you know it or not, you are, for better or worse, impacted by the written law of both federal and state governments each and every day of your lives. As a representative democracy, we choose those who craft the laws by which we live. And while we don't create the law, we are responsible for electing those who do. But what if you could? What if it was YOUR responsibility to write the laws that impact the lives of your fellow Americans? What issues would you address? Why?
Well, now's your chance.
Writing legislation is easier than you might think. If you are even remotely politically aware and follow current events you probably already have some good ideas for legislation. And herein lies your Research Project:
Students are required to author an original bill. Do not just make up your cost numbers, etc. Instead, be reasonable and researched in your presentation. I do not expect students to use "legalese" in their writing or to address every part of a policy in their bill. Try to be comprehensive, though, and write using layman's terms. Your bills will more than likely be 1 to 3 pages (single-spaced) for the actual bill, plus additional pages (2 to 5) of justification and research ("rationale and justifications") included under a separate heading.
Your bill will be divided into sections, as demonstrated below:
Section 1: SHORT TITLE
This section will be the title of your bill.
Section 2: PURPOSE
This section of a bill explains the problem your bill is addressing. Here you will use data and facts as evidence to support the need of the bill. This section does not need to contain all of the material gathered about the issue but should contain the most important and substantial information.
Section 3: DEFINITIONS
This section defines any words or abbreviations that are used in a bill that other delegates may not be aware of. Examples of possible definitions may include types of taxes, current laws or acts, or terms that are not used regularly.
Section 4: MAIN PROVISIONS
This section is the main area of the bill and is where the author(s) outline every guideline and procedure that will go into effect if the bill is passed. Because this is the section where you are creating, changing, or removing a law, it should be the most thought-out and thorough section of your bill.
Section 5: APPROPRIATIONS
This section specifically covers the issue of money. The Appropriations section discusses how much money will be needed, where it will come from, and what possible revenue will be put towards if it is needed to support the main provisions of the bill.When citing the funding requirements of the legislation, don't just make estimates off the top of your head. You can get an idea of the cost of programs at the web site of the Office of Management and Budget in the White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/
Section 6: PENALTY CLAUSE
This section will specify the repercussions of individuals, businesses, or companies if the guidelines of the main provisions are not followed.
Section 7: EFFECTIVE DATE
This section identifies when the bill will go into effect if it passes First Committee, Senate, House, and the Governor signs it into law. This can be a specific date or certain amount of days after its passage. The bill will automatically go into effect 90 days after passage if the date is not indicated in the bill.