GFCA State Legislative Docket

1 2 3 GFCA State Legislative Docket 4 5 6 1 Limit the Usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles 2 Protect American Interests in the Arctic 3 Fund Vocational High Schools 4 Regulate Uber, Lyft and Similar Transportation Services 5 The Immigrant Innovation Act 6 Ban the Export of Hazardous Wastes 7 Formally Recognize Palestine as an Independent State 8 Implement the Common Core Standards to Nationalize Educational 9 Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act to Promote Financial Stability 10 Remove Military Commanders from Decisions over the Prosecution 11 Assist Undocumented Immigrants to the United States 12 Require Background Checks on All Firearm Purchases 13 Expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to Include Public Sector 14 Amend the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act to Include 15 Require Expeditious Processing of Rape Kits 16 The Comprehensive Campaign Finance Reform Act 17 Amend the Constitution to Repeal the Second Amendment Invest in the Ballistic Missile Defense System to Defend the United 18 States 19 Promote the Development of Liquid Biopsies to Detect Cancer 20 Require Psychiatric Evaluations for All Persons 21 Increase Funding to the Kurdish Peshmerga to Aid in Combating ISIS 22 Abolish the United States Postal Service 23 Invest Domestically in Clean Energy Infrastructure 24 Cut Farming Subsidies for Corporate Growers 25 Combat Poverty in the United States 26 End the Allocation of Federal Funds to NASA 27 Increase Mental Health Services to US Military Personnel 28 Enforce Current Laws Regarding Ransom Payments for Hostages 29 Transfer Jurisdiction of Sexual Assault Cases in the Military 30 Combat Gun Violence and Increase Research 7

8 9 10 11 GFCA State Item 1.A Bill to Limit the Usage of 12 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles 13 14 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 15 SECTION 1. The United States shall ensure the security and safety of its constituents by 16 limiting the usage of unmanned aerial vehicles. This limitation will ban the usage 17 of unmanned aerial vehicles both recreationally and commercially. 18 SECTION 2. Recreational and commercial usage shall be defined as any Unmanned Aerial 19 Vehicle usage independent of the United States Department of Defense, 20 Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of State, 21 and the Central Intelligence Agency. 22 SECTION 3. This bill shall be enforced by the Federal Aviation Administration and the United 23 States Department of Defense. 24 SECTION 4. This legislation shall be implemented by December of 2016. 25 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 GFCA State Item 2.A Resolution to Protect American Interests 56 in the Arctic 57 58 WHEREAS, The Arctic is of vital importance to United States economic and security 59 concerns; and 60 WHEREAS, Russia has progressively increased its aggression in the Arctic by announcing the 61 reopening of Cold War era naval bases and has repeatedly launched 62 inflammatory expeditions; and 63 WHEREAS, American calls for negotiations have been ignored and all diplomatic options 64 have been exhausted; and 65 WHEREAS, The United States military is severely underprepared for the protection of the 66 Arctic; now, therefore, be it 67 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled make the following recommendation for $20 68 billion be allocated to the development of new Arctic military assets, as a 69 precautionary measure; and, be it 70 FURTHER RESOLVED, That $5 billion should be allocated to Coast Guard for the purchase of 71 new icebreakers and $5 billion will be given to the Department of Defense for 72 the purchase of new cold tolerant equipment, weapons, and vehicles. 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 GFCA State Item 3. A Bill to Fund Vocational High Schools 97 98 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

99 SECTION 1. The Department of Education will appropriate 5 billion dollars per year in Federal

100 funds in order to fund vocational high schools.

101 SECTION 2. Vocational high schools will be defined as an alternative for students to attend in

102 order to learn a trade and receive a high school diploma. For schools to qualify

103 for funding they must offer a classwork schedule that spends 20% of the time

104 during school teaching a trade. A trade can be defined as any work that requires

105 a license to complete in order to produce revenue.

106 SECTION 3. That the Department of Education assist the planning and opening of vocational

107 high schools.

108 A. The Department of Education is also responsible for the recruitment of

109 teachers and industry sponsors to work in these high schools.

110 B. In addition to trade specialists, The Department of Education will also be in

111 charge of planning out a curriculum in order to meet basic education credits.

112 C. The Department will also be in charge of creating and reviewing applications

113 for student applicants.

114 SECTION 4. This bill shall be implemented immediately after passage.

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

116 117 118 119 GFCA State Item 4.A Bill to Regulate Uber, Lyft and Similar 120 Transportation Services 121

122 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

123 SECTION 1. Uber, Lyft and similar transportation services will be required to meet the same

124 standards as bus, taxi and livery drivers. 125 SECTION 2. Regulations will include:

126 A. Screening of drivers (criminal record and driving record).

127 B. Sex offender checks.

128 C. Fingerprinting.

129 SECTION 3. Uber, Lyft and similar transportation services will be required to disclose the

130 formulas for their surge pricing policies to promote standardized rates.

131 SECTION 4. This legislation goes into effect April 1, 2016.

133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 GFCA State Item 5. The Immigrant Innovation Act 158

159 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 160 SECTION 1. The Immigration and Nationality Act shall be amended to

161 A. Increase the annual cap on H-1B nonimmigrant visas to between 115,000 and 162 195,000 visas.

163 B. Exempt foreign nationals with advanced STEM degrees from U.S. universities 164 from numerical limits of employment-based green cards. 165 C. Grant students with F-1 visas with dual intent, allowing them to file for green 166 card petitions. 167 SECTION 2. A. An H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows U.S. employers to temporarily 168 employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. 169 B. An advanced STEM degree is a degree (master’s or higher) in a field in 170 science, technology, engineering or math from a school qualified under the 171 Higher Education Act of 1965. 172 C. An F-1 visa is a non-immigrant student visa that allows foreigners to pursue 173 education (academic studies and/or language training programs) in the United 174 States. 175 SECTION 3. The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, 176 shall ensure that all immigrant visas authorized by Congress to be issued under 177 this legislation are issued to qualified applicants. 178 SECTION 4. The provisions of this legislation shall take effect beginning with FY 2017. 179 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 GFCA State Item 6. A Bill to Ban the Export of Hazardous 195 Wastes 196 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

197 SECTION 1. The export of US hazardous wastes to other countries for disposal and/or

198 recycling will be banned.

199 SECTION 2. For the purpose of this legislation, hazardous waste will be defined as 200 A. All materials designated as hazardous by the US Environmental Protection

201 Agency;

202 B. Electronic wastes (e-waste);

203 C. Infectious waste, municipal garbage, and incinerator ash;

204 D. Storage vessels, including ships and barges, contaminated with wastes.

205 SECTION 3. The US Tax Code will be revised to allow for tax incentives for companies

206 developing new waste recycling technologies and/or disposal facilities:

207 D. Companies may receive tax incentives of up to $1 million per year for

208 developing or importing new recycling or disposal technologies or expanding

209 safe disposal capabilities;

210 E. Incentives may be renewed for a period of up to five years.

211 SECTION 4. This law will take effect January 1, 2018.

213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 GFCA State Item 7.A Resolution to Formally Recognize Palestine 224 as an Independent State to Advance the Israeli-Palestinian 225 Peace Process 226 227 WHEREAS, The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been perpetuated for over six decades; and 228 WHEREAS, This conflict has displaced roughly 300,000 people in both Israel and Palestine; 229 and 230 WHEREAS, The international community is pushing for a two-state solution to resolve the 231 conflict; and 232 WHEREAS, The United Nations has already recognized Palestine as a state; and 233 WHEREAS, The United States has continually refrained from recognizing Palestinian 234 statehood; and 235 WHEREAS, Recognizing said statehood could reduce violence and instability in the region; 236 and 237 WHEREAS, It is in the United States’ best interests to push for a solution to the Israeli- 238 Palestinian conflict; now, therefore, be it 239 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled recognize Palestine as an independent state 240 to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 GFCA State Item 8. A Bill to Implement the Common Core 264 Standards to Nationalize Educational Expectations 265 266 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS UIL CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

267 SECTION 1. All States will fully implement the Common Core State Standards for K-12 public

268 schools.

269 SECTION 2. “Full implementation” is to be defined as aligning State curricula with

270 the Common Core Standards without modifications.

271 SECTION 3. This bill will be overseen and enforced by the U.S. Department of Education. 272 A. States with only partial or modified compliance with the Common Core

273 Standards will be in violation of this policy.

274 B. States who do not comply will receive a deduction of 50% on public

275 education funding from the federal government.

276 SECTION 4. This law will take effect at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year.

278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 GFCA State Item 9. A Resolution to Reinstate the 299 Glass-Steagall Act to Promote Financial Stability

301 WHEREAS, With the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, banks are not regulated and can now 302 make loans using the money of the general public; and 303 WHEREAS, The 1999 repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act set the stage for the environment of 304 financial irresponsibility preceding the 2008 financial crisis; and 305 WHEREAS, Post crisis measures must be taken to ensure the US economy is not susceptible 306 to another one; and 307 WHEREAS, Another US financial crisis would exacerbate already-rampant income inequality 308 and would tear down significant global progress towards economic 309 development; now, therefore, be it 310 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled make the following recommendation to ratify 311 the Glass-Steagall Act. 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 GFCA State Item 10. A Bill to Remove Military Commanders 336 from Decisions over the Prosecution of Sexual Assault Cases 337 338 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

339 SECTION 1. The United States will remove Military Commanders from decisions over the

340 prosecution of sexual assault cases in the military and instate the Military Justice

341 Improvement Act.

342 SECTION 2. Sexual assault shall be defined as any type of sexual contact or behavior that

343 occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.

344 SECTION 3. The Department of Defense and The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response

345 Office (SAPRO) will enforce this legislation.

346 A. The Military Justice Improvement Act will be instated upon passing.

347 SECTION 4. This bill shall go into effect 6 months after passage.

348 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 GFCA State Item 11.A Bill to Assist Undocumented Immigrants 375 to the United States Who Have Lived in the US for More Than 376 10 Years 377

378 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

379 SECTION 1. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will provide an advocate

380 to assist undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States for 10 or

381 more years in completing citizenship requirements.

382 SECTION 2. “Undocumented Immigrant” refers to a citizen of a country other than the

383 United States currently residing in the United States but without legal citizenship

384 status.

385 SECTION 3. This bill will be enforced by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

386 A. Undocumented immigrants found guilty of violent crimes and/or felony

387 crimes will not be eligible for this service. 388 B. An undocumented immigrant may refuse this service and return to their

389 country of origin.

390 SECTION 4. This bill will take effect August 1, 2016.

392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 GFCA State Item 12. A Bill to Require Background Checks on 404 All Firearm Purchases

406 407 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 408 SECTION 1. All firearms dealers in the United States must conduct mandatory background 409 checks on everyone wishing to purchase a firearm. 410 SECTION 2. A firearm is defined as a rifle, shotgun, or handgun. A firearms dealer is anyone 411 who has been licensed by state or federal agencies to sell firearms in any 412 context. 413 SECTION 3. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives will oversee 414 enforcement.

415 A. A three-day waiting period must precede a firearm purchase.

416 B. A national database including criminal and mental health records will be 417 compiled and will be considered in background checks.

418 C. Prospective gun purchasers must also complete a firearms training course 419 prior to attempting to purchase a firearm. 420 SECTION 4. This bill will be implemented no later than January 1, 2017. 421 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 GFCA State Item 13. A Bill to Expand The Family And Medical 444 Leave Act to Include Public Sector Employers with 50 Or Less 445 Employees 446 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 447 SECTION 1. It being that the Family and Medical Leave Act is only enforced on employers

448 with 50 or more employees, and all public and private elementary and secondary

449 schools, and companies with 50 or more employees. Immediate action is

450 required for a change to happen so every employee can be covered and

451 supported by this legislation.

452 SECTION 2. Leave protected under the Family and Medical leave act is classified as a serious

453 health condition of the employee or of a member of the employee's immediate

454 family; the birth or adoption of a child or the placement of a foster child in the

455 home; or "any qualifying exigency" (which generally means an urgent or

456 emergency situation) associated with the employee's spouse, child, or parent

457 being on active military duty, or having been notified of an impending order to

458 active duty, in support of a contingency operation

459 SECTION 3. The government agency overseeing this bill will be the U.S. Department of Labor

460 SECTION 4. Implementation of this bill will be January 1, 2017.

461 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 462 463 464 465 466 467 GFCA State Item 14.A Bill to Amend the Unlawful Internet 468 Gambling Enforcement Act to Include Fantasy Football 469 470 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

471 SECTION 1. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 shall hereby be

472 amended to include fantasy sports, such as fantasy football, in its online

473 gambling regulation.

474 SECTION 2. Enforcement of the amended Act shall continue through the US Attorney

475 General.

476 SECTION 3. Effective immediately upon passage.

478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 GFCA State Item 15. A Bill to Require Expeditious Processing of 512 Rape Kits

513 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

514 SECTION 1. All states receiving federal funds for state or local law enforcement agencies

515 must adopt policies to ensure that rape kits are submitted to an accredited

516 public or private crime lab for testing within 10 days of being booked into

517 evidence. These labs must process and test rape kits within 30 days of receipt.

518 SECTION 2. Any rape kits sitting waiting in backlog at the time of the passage of this bill must

519 be submitted to an accredited public or private crime lab within 10 months from

520 the passage of this bill.

521 SECTION 3. Backlog is defined as any rape kit that has not been submitted to an accredited

522 public or private crime lab within 30 days of being booked into evidence.

523 SECTION 4. The Department of Justice under the Attorney General shall oversee

524 implementation of this bill.

525 A. The Department of Justice will provide states with block grants total $400

526 million to test help clear the backlog.

527 B. Funding will be provided through a 0.1 percent tax on alcohol sales.

528 C. Failure of a states to comply with this legislation will result in a loss of all

529 federal funds for police departments in violation.

530 D. Failure of public and private crime labs to comply with this legislation will

531 result in a fine of $5,000 per violation.

532 SECTION 5. This bill shall go into effect 10 months after passage.

534 GFCA State Item 16. The Comprehensive Campaign Finance 535 Reform Act 536 537 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 538 SECTION 1. Any candidate running for national or state office will hereby be required to 539 disclose all donations received and expenditures. Candidates will no longer be 540 allowed to accept donations from foreign entities. In addition, organizations that 541 air political ads will need to disclose the sponsor of the ad. 542 SECTION 2. Political candidates refer to any candidate running for national or state office. 543 Foreign entities include but are not limited to: corporations not based in the US, 544 foreign citizens, and foreign governments. 545 SECTION 3. The FEC and FCC will be in charge of implementation by doing the following:

546 A. The FEC will audit political candidates and fine them as they deem fit if they 547 received donations from foreign entities, or if they failed to disclose their 548 finances.

549 B. The FCC will monitor political ads aired on television and radio to ensure that 550 organizations that air said ads are fully disclosing their sponsors. If they do 551 not, the FCC will fine them as they deem fit. 552 SECTION 4. This bill will be enacted upon passage. 553 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 554

561 GFCA State Item 17.A Resolution to Amend the Constitution 562 Repeal the Second Amendment 563 564 RESOLVED, By two-thirds of the Congress here assembled, that the following article is 565 proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall 566 be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by 567 the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states within seven years from the 568 date of its submission by the Congress: 569 ARTICLE -- 570 SECTION 1: The second article of amendment to the Constitution of the 571 United States is hereby repealed. 572 SECTION 2: The Federal government is hereby empowered to regulate the 573 sale and distribution of firearms in the United States. 574

589 GFCA State Item 18.A Resolution to Invest in the Ballistic 590 Missile Defense System to Defend the United States 591 WHEREAS, In a militarizing world, rapid production of ballistic and nuclear missiles in foreign 592 lands poses a great threat to the American people and interests; and 593 WHEREAS, With increasing technology, North Korea and Russia maintain the ability to 594 launch nuclear warheads that pose an inherent risk to national security; and 595 WHEREAS, A small fraction of missiles launched onto the U.S. mainland has the potential to 596 wipe out the electric grids, financial networks, and kill and injure countless 597 Americans; and 598 WHEREAS, The United States currently lacks defense against long-range ballistic missiles; 599 now, therefore, be it 600 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled allocate $500 million annually to the Missile 601 Defense Agency to develop and test several new technologies designed to 602 intercept and destroy ballistic missiles to curb future threats over the course of 603 five years. 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 GFCA State Item 19.A Resolution to Promote the Development 630 of Liquid Biopsies to Detect Cancer 631 632 WHEREAS, Cancer is one of the leading killers of American citizens; and 633 WHEREAS, An estimated 589,430 Americans will die from some sort of cancer in the year 634 2015; and 635 WHEREAS, Early detection is a key strategy for increasing cancer survival rate, sometimes by 636 as much as 80%; and 637 WHEREAS, Liquid Biopsies can detect cancer early in up to 90% of patients; now, therefore, 638 be it 639 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled shall financially incentivize the research and 640 development of Liquid Biopsy technology; and, be it 641 FURTHER RESOLVED, That Congress shall create tax incentives as well as grants to private 642 laboratories and research groups effectively developing the technology. 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 GFCA State Item 20.A Bill to Require Psychiatric Evaluations 675 for all Persons aiming to Purchase Firearms to Substantially 676 Reduce the Number of Psychologically-Related Shootings 677 678 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 679 SECTION 1. All persons aiming to purchase a firearm go through a psychological evaluation 680 SECTION 2. A firearm is a weapon that uses gun powder to propel a projectile, either long or 681 short distances. 682 Psychiatric Evaluations are evaluations of a persons mental status which, in 683 accordance with the APA, lasts no longer than 3 hours. 684 SECTION 3. The ATF will lead enforcement of this legislation under the following mandates:

685 A. That all psychiatric evaluations be performed by a psychiatrist sanctioned in 686 practice by the APA with a separate second medical opinion taking place.

687 B. All persons currently in possession of a firearm will be required to receive a 688 psychiatric evaluation within 2 years of the implementation of this 689 legislation. 690 SECTION 4. This legislation will be implemented in the following fiscal year and upon the 691 passage of this legislation the ATF will begin compiling psychiatrists that follow 692 the mandates above. 693 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 GFCA State Item 21.A Bill to Increase Funding to the Kurdish 708 Peshmerga to Aid in Combating ISIS 709 710 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 711 SECTION 1. The United States will supply $400 million in ammunition and small arms to the 712 Kurdish Peshmerga military camps, with $200 million being delivered in the first 713 month, and $25 million increments every two months afterwards. 714 SECTION 2. Ammunition will correspond with the small arms given, with small arms being 715 defined as class 4 automatic rifles. 716 SECTION 3. The Department of Defense will oversee the enforcement of the bill in 717 conjunction United States Military.

718 A. If the United States Secretary of Defense determines the aid to be 719 detrimental to American interests, then it will be nullified immediately.

720 B. Should the Kurdish Peshmerga be eliminated during this timeframe, the aid 721 will be redirected to the Free Syrian Army. 722 SECTION 4. This bill shall go into effect on July 4, 2016. 723 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 GFCA State Item 22. A Bill to Abolish the United States Postal 746 Service 747 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 1 SECTION 1. Title 39 U.S. Code, Sections 101, et seq. be amended so as 2 to abolish the United States Postal Service. 3 SECTION 2. Abolishment of the USPS would include cessation of all 4 current services and liquidation of all real property and other assets, as 5 well as the elimination of current regulations regarding the rates that can 6 be charged for postage by private service providers. 7 SECTION 3. The abolishment of the USPS will be directed by the 8 Postmaster General of the United States, with direct oversight by the 9 Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and the 1 Census. The action will include: 0 A. Sale of all current assets held by the USPS by public auction; 1 B. Provision of retraining and other placement services to current USPS employees. 1 C. Revision of existing regulations establishing minimum postage rates for private entities. 1 SECTION 4. This bill will take effect immediately upon enactment, with 2 implementation to be completed over a 5 year period. 1 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared 3 null and void. 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 8

748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 GFCA State Item 23.A Resolution to Invest Domestically in 766 Clean Energy Infrastructure 767 768 WHEREAS, the United States’ reliance on fossil fuels and non-renewable energy sources has 769 contributed greatly to global climate change; and 770 WHEREAS, continuing to rely primarily on non-renewable sources will exacerbate the effects 771 of climate change across our nation and the globe, damaging property and 772 infrastructure; and 773 WHEREAS, the United States will continue to experience rising sea level issues, worsening 774 droughts, more frequent wildfires, and more catastrophic storms; and 775 WHEREAS, investing in clean energy alternatives can mitigate these issues in addition to 776 creating a net 1.7 million jobs; and 777 WHEREAS, this investment will expedite US efforts to transition away from fossil fuel 778 dependency; now, therefore, be it 779 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled recommend that $100 billion over a period of 780 10 years be invested into building, maintaining, and improving clean energy 781 infrastructure. 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 GFCA State Item 24. A Bill to Cut Farming Subsidies for 806 Corporate Growers 807 808 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:

809 SECTION 1. The United States Federal Government shall be cutting all agricultural subsidies

810 to corporate growers.

811 SECTION 2. An agricultural subsidy shall be defined as a sum of money that is used to the

812 lower prices of agricultural goods in order to ensure that prices remain

813 competitive.

814 Corporate growers shall be defined as companies who own or influence farms

815 and farming practices for their own gain. 816 SECTION 3. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will oversee the

817 enforcement of the bill along with the specific enforcement mechanism.

818 A. The USDA will also be in charge of labeling the distinction between corporate

819 and non-corporate growers.

820 SECTION 4. This law will be phased in by the year 2020.

822 823 824 825 826 827 828 829 830 831 832 833 834 835 836 837 838 839 840 GFCA State Item 25. A Bill to Combat Poverty in the United 841 States 842 843 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 844 SECTION 1. The United States government will enforce the following: 845 A. Replace the existing tax code for consumers with a negative income tax (NIT) 846 of 50% with an income threshold of 4.0 times the federal poverty line as 847 calculated by the Department of Health and Human Services. 848 B. Raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to 80% of the federal minimum 849 wage, with the rest supplemented by tips. 850 SECTION 2. Negative Income Tax shall be defined as a taxation system in which consumers 851 that earn below an income threshold of 4.0 times the federal poverty line shall 852 receive a federal tax refund equivalent to 50% of the difference between their 853 annual income and the threshold. Those who earn above the specified income 854 threshold shall be taxed for the amount equivalent to 50% of the difference 855 between their annual income and the threshold. 856 SECTION 3. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the U.S. Department of Labor will be 857 oversee the implementation and enforcement of this legislation.

858 A. The IRS will focus upon the phasing out of the current consumer taxation 859 system and the implementation of the NIT.

860 B. The U.S. Department of Labor will focus upon the implementation and 861 enforcement of the revised minimum wage. 862 SECTION 4. This bill shall be enacted on July 1, 2016. 863 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 864 865 866 867 868 GFCA State Item 26. A Bill to End the Allocation of Federal 869 Funds to NASA to Incentivize Private Sector Space Exploration 870 871 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 872 SECTION 1. The United States shall withdraw the current National Aeronautics and Space 873 Administration (NASA) budget of $18.01 billion and distribute half of the budget 874 to private sector space companies with revenue sharing grant funding in order to 875 incentivize space exploration. 876 SECTION 2. Revenue sharing grant is defined as a federal grant that requires no matching 877 funds and provides flexibility in its implementation. 878 SECTION 3. The Congressional Budget Office will oversee the implementation of this bill. 879 SECTION 4. This law will take effect at the beginning of the Fiscal Year of 2016. 880 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 881 882 883 884 885 886 887 888 889 890 891 892 893 894 895 896 897 GFCA State Item 27.A Resolution to Increase Mental Health 898 Services to U.S. Military Personnel 899

900 WHEREAS, The US military reports steadily rising cases of PTSD in personnel experiencing 901 long-term and/or multiple deployments; and 902 WHEREAS, U.S. military members face barriers to receiving mental health treatment, 903 including, but not limited to, lack of immediate access to mental health services, 904 limited numbers of available mental health professionals and possible 905 stigmatization; and 906 WHEREAS, The Department of Veterans Affairs says that “as many as 22 veterans take their 907 lives every day” and that veterans account for approximately 20% of suicides in 908 the US; and 909 WHEREAS, The VA estimates that 17 of 22 soldiers who take their lives, daily, are not 910 connected to services provided by the VA; and 911 WHEREAS, Incidents of violent offenses involving veterans with diagnosed PTSD are 14 912 times higher than the general civilian population; and 913 WHEREAS, Veterans diagnosed with PTSD are more likely to commit domestic violence, with 914 post 9/11 military personnel and veterans accounting for 21% of reported 915 domestic violence incidents nationwide; therefore, be it 916 RESOLVED, By the Congress here assembled that the United States Federal Government 917 should increase available mental health services to deployed, active and veteran 918 military personnel throughout all branches of the military and the Department of 919 Veterans Affairs. 920 921 922 923 924 925 926 GFCA State Item 28. A Resolution to Enforce Current Laws 927 Regarding Ransom Payment for Hostages 928

929 WHEREAS, ISIS has taken hostages for the purpose of receiving ransom payments; and 930 WHEREAS, Ransom payments strengthen terrorist groups and give the ability to expand and 931 commit more acts of terror; and 932 WHEREAS, Current law prohibits ransom payment for hostages; and 933 WHEREAS, President Obama is choosing to not prosecute the families of hostages that 934 engage in ransom payment in return for their loved ones; now, therefore, be it 935 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled that President Obama reverse his previous 936 policy and will now fully enforce existing law prohibiting the payment of ransom 937 for hostages.

938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949 950 951 GFCA State Item 29.A Resolution to Transfer Jurisdiction of 952 Sexual Assault Cases in the Military to Civilian Courts 953 WHEREAS, Sexual misconduct has been an on-going problem in the US military for more 954 than 25 years; and 955 WHEREAS, An annual report by the US Department of Defense estimated that more than 956 20,000 American service members were sexually assaulted in 2014; and 957 WHEREAS, Less than 12 percent of these assaults were formally reported out of fear of 958 retaliation, which may include poor performance reviews, discharge from the 959 armed forces, hazing, shunning, physical assault, and death threats; and 960 WHEREAS, Only about 5 percent of sexual assault cases in the military actually lead to 961 convictions; and 962 WHEREAS, The Military Code of Justice gives commanders near total autonomy on the 963 prosecution and sentencing of these cases; and 964 WHEREAS, These commanders have a vested interest in preventing the investigation and 965 prosecution as their own evaluations may be negatively affected by the number 966 of cases prosecuted on their bases; and 967 WHEREAS, With nearly two-thirds of reported sexual assault cases involving a superior 968 officer, commanders are reluctant to allow the prosecution of their friends and 969 colleagues; now, therefore, be it 970 RESOLVED, That the Congress here assembled make the following recommendation that all 971 investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases originating in the military or 972 involving military personnel be shifted to the jurisdiction of the closest local 973 civilian courts; and, be it 974 FURTHER RESOLVED, That the US armed forces should establish and enforce harsh penalties 975 for personnel who engage in retaliatory measures against victims who report 976 crimes against them in the military. 977 978 GFCA State Item 30. A Bill to Combat Gun Violence and 979 Increase Research 980 BE IT ENACTED BY THE CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT: 981 SECTION 1. Language that prohibits the use of funds by government agencies to investigate 982 gun violence are hereby repealed.

983 A. The Dickey Amendment to the 1996 Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations 984 Bill are hereby repealed in order to allow the Center for Disease Control to 985 conduct proper research.

986 B. The Tiahrt Amendments to the 2010 Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations 987 Bill are hereby repealed in order to restore proper regulatory authority to the 988 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

989 C. Section 218 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012, which limits the 990 National Institute of Health’s research capabilities, are hereby repealed.

991 D. Section 2716 Part C of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 992 entitled “Protection of Second Amendment Gun Rights”, is hereby repealed 993 in order to properly catalogue instances of gun violence. 994 SECTION 2. Senate Bill 1945, the Mental Health Reform Act of 2015, will be brought to the 995 floor for an up or down vote. 996 SECTION 3. The aforementioned government agencies, as well as those enumerated by the 997 Mental Health Reform Act of 2015, shall enforce the provisions of this bill. 998 SECTION 4. This bill will go into effect at the beginning of FY 2018. 999 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. 1000 1001