2020-2021 ESC 7 Congress Legislation Item Legislation Authoring School 1 A Bill to Stop Supplying Local Policing Authorities with Military Nacogdoches Weaponry 2 A Resolution to Enforce Gender-Neutral Restrooms in All United Brownsboro States Public Schools 3 A Bill to Legalize the Process of Mail-in Ballots for the Physically Big Sandy Disabled 4 A Resolution to Create a Federal Child Protective Service Chireno 5 A Resolution to Reform Mental Health Services in Correctional Shelbyville Facilities 6 A Bill to Abolish Private Prisons Hallsville 7 A Resolution to Raise the Minimum Wage Palestine 8 A Resolution to Ban Stock Buybacks Lindale 9 A Bill to End ICE Enforcement and Retrieval Operations Athens 10 A Bill to Grant Statehood to Puerto Rico Rusk 11 A Bill to Amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to Eliminate Disability- Based Wage Discrimination Henderson 12 The “No Wall Here Thank You” Bill or A Bill to Safeguard Indigenous Land from Eminent Domain Tatum 13 A Bill to Pay for Junior College for All Citizens to Increase Access to Education Tyler Legacy 14 A Bill to Move Federal Elections to the Weekend to Increase Participation Among Voters Chireno
Chambers may set the agenda of their docket. Legislation does not belong to the chamber until it has first been introduced by the author or sponsor. School authorship is designated.
A Bill to Stop Supplying Local Policing Authorities with Military Weaponry
1 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS UIL CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
2 SECTION 1. The Defense Logistics Agency’s Law Enforcement Office, an organization
3 under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense, will
4 cease to use the 1033 program to transfer controlled property to local
5 policing authorities.
6 SECTION 2. Controlled property will be defined as small arms, personal weapons,
7 demilitarized vehicles, aircraft, and night vision equipment. The 1033
8 program is the policy that allows the Department of Defense, through the
9 Defense Logistics Agency’s Law Enforcement Office, to hand off
10 controlled and non-controlled property to local policing authorities.
11 SECTION 3. The Defense Logistics Agency, with oversight from the Department of
12 Defense, will oversee the enforcement of this bill.
13 SECTION 4. This bill will be implemented on January 1, 2022.
14 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.
Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Nacogdoches High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Resolution to Enforce Gender-Neutral Restrooms in All United States Public Schools
1 WHEREAS, The number of transgender students and adults in America is climbing
2 and access to gender-neutral restrooms does not meet this growth; and
3 WHEREAS, Students and staff that fall into a different gender category outside of
4 male or female must be provided with a gender-neutral restroom facility;
5 and
6 WHEREAS, Seventy percent of respondents in a survey conducted by The Journal of
7 Public Management & Social Policy reported being denied access,
8 verbally harassed, or physically assaulted in public restrooms and these
9 experiences impacted respondents’ education, employment, health, and
10 participation in public life; and
11 WHEREAS, All students and staff deserve equal access to restroom facilities,
12 regardless of their gender identity; now, therefore, be it
13 RESOLVED, That the UIL Congress here assembled require the United States
14 Department of Education to require all public schools to provide gender-
15 neutral restroom facilities. Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Brownsboro High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Bill to Legalize the Process of Mail-in Ballots for the Physically Disabled
1 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS UIL CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
2 SECTION 1. All registered, disabled voters will be allowed to vote in all elections by
3 mail-in ballot.
4 SECTION 2. Disabled voters will be defined as a registered voter who is unable to
5 physically, mentally, or emotionally transport themselves to the voting
6 location without the aid of public transportation and/or the aid of
7 someone else.
8 SECTION 3. The United States Postal Service will be responsible for distributing the
9 ballots by mail as well as returning the ballots for the voters.
10 A. Each voter registration card will indicate an area for disabled voters
11 to register to vote by mail-in ballots. By this process, the ballots will
12 be pre-coded and mailed to each voter.
13 B. Disabled voters who have not registered to vote or who did not
14 request a mail-in ballot will contact their local precinct chairperson.
15 SECTION 4. This bill will be implemented on September 11, 2021.
16 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Big Sandy High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Resolution to Create a Federal Child Protective Service
1 WHEREAS, The federal government provides roughly one half of the money spent in
2 the designated fiscal budget nation-wide for child abuse investigations,
3 foster care, family reunification and state adoption and therefore has
4 vested interest in finding a better system to protect children; and
5 WHEREAS, Child welfare in the United States is fragmented and easily manipulated
6 by guardians who have learned to work the broken system by relocating
7 from state to state to avoid discovery that leads to prosecution; and
8 WHEREAS, The current system requires state cooperation in abuse and allegation
9 investigations despite the lack of technology that would permit
10 information sharing across state boundaries; and
11 WHEREAS, In 2006 the United States Congress recognized the need for a federal
12 approach but did not take the steps necessary to create a workable
13 solution with enforcement; now, therefore, be it
14 RESOLVED, That the UIL Congress here assembled require the United States
15 Department of Health and Human Services create a research committee
16 to develop a federally mandated database to track abuse allegations
17 along with considering creating a federal child protective service agency
18 to replace state and county agencies to reduce inconsistent approaches
19 and policies. Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Chireno High School
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Resolution to Reform Mental Health Services in Correctional Facilities
1 WHEREAS, It is estimated that 1.2 million inmates in correctional facilities suffer
2 from serious mental health illnesses; and
3 WHEREAS, Current regulations regarding mental health services in correctional
4 facilities do not require adequate care; and
5 WHEREAS, It has been proven that less access to mental health services in
6 correctional facilities leads to a higher rate of incarceration; and
7 WHEREAS, Improving the mental health service capabilities of correctional facilities
8 leads to a healthier society with more awareness on mental health issues,
9 an overlooked problem; now, therefore, be it
10 RESOLVED, That the UIL Congress here assembled will reform The Basic Mental
11 Health Services Standard for correctional facilities to require a higher
12 standard of mental health services offered to inmates. Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Shelbyville High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Bill to Abolish Private Prisons
1 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS UIL CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
2 SECTION 1. Private prisons should be abolished and not allowed within the United
3 States, territories or jurisdictions.
4 SECTION 2. Private prisons are defined as facilities where prisoners are imprisoned by
5 a third party that is contracted by a government agency.
6 SECTION 3. The United States Department of Justice will oversee the enforcement of
7 the bill.
8 A. Any funding needs will be reallocated to the Department of Justice
9 from the Department of Defense.
10 B. All private prison facilities and/or property will either be repurposed
11 by the owning entity or sold to the federal government at fair market
12 value within six months of the bill’s effective date.
13 SECTION 4. The bill will be effective January 1, 2022.
14 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Hallsville High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Resolution to Raise the Minimum Wage
1 WHEREAS, People working for minimum wage do not make enough for the average
2 amount of expenses that they have to pay; and
3 WHEREAS, This problem affects a large number of people throughout the country
4 who have to pay for the increasing amount of money for rent with
5 additional costs that they need for their daily lives; and
6 WHEREAS, This results in people never being able to have a sustainable and practical
7 life; and
8 WHEREAS, A higher minimum wage would give people with lower levels of
9 education an avenue to have a better life; now, therefore, be it
10 RESOLVED, That the UIL Congress here assembled raise the minimum wage to a living
11 wage. Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Palestine High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Resolution to Ban Stock Buybacks
1 WHEREAS, S&P 500 companies were on track to buy back $480 billion in shares
2 before 2019 ended; and
3 WHEREAS, Despite a COVID-19 impacted market and commitments to suspend stock
4 buybacks, S&P 500 companies posted $198 billion in repurchase
5 expenditures in the first quarter of 2020; and
6 WHEREAS, CEO compensation is closely tied to stock price; and
7 WHEREAS, Corporations often use tax breaks to buy back their own stock; and
8 WHEREAS, Stock buybacks represent a way for CEOs to overinflate their
9 compensation at the expense of serving customers; and
10 WHEREAS, Stock buybacks disproportionately benefit investors and executives, with
11 little heed for the other stakeholders who have spent the time, effort and
12 money on creating the profits the company is redistributing in the first
13 place; now, therefore, be it
14 RESOLVED, That the UIL Congress here assembled that stock buybacks be banned. Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Lindale High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Bill to End ICE Enforcement and Retrieval Operations
1 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS UIL CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
2 SECTION 1. The Enforcement and Retrieval Operations (ERO) Unit will cease all
3 current and future operations including but not limited to detaining and
4 deporting non-citizens.
5 SECTION 2. The Enforcement and Retrieval Operations Unit operates the under the
6 office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the
7 Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
8 SECTION 3. This bill will be enforced by the Departments of Justice, Homeland
9 Security, and Treasury.
10 A. All budgetary funds and personnel will be transferred to the
11 Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Unit to be distributed at the
12 discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security.
13 B. The Department of Homeland Security will train ERO personnel in the
14 operations of HSI and investigating human trafficking.
15 C. All noncitizens held in current detention facilities will be reunited
16 with families previously separated by ERO operations.
17 SECTION 4. This bill will go into effect immediately upon passage.
18 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.
Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Athens High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Bill to Grant Statehood to Puerto Rico
1 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS UIL CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
2 SECTION 1. Puerto Rico’s status will be changed from that of a U.S. territory to that of
3 a U.S. state.
4 SECTION 2. A territory is defined as an organized division of a country that is not yet
5 admitted to the full rights of a state.
6 SECTION 3. Following the path to statehood set in previous examples, the President
7 will be required to sign the joint resolution after the bill is passed, and
8 Puerto Rico will be made a state.
9 A. Statehood will allow Puerto Rico to elect delegates for both the house
10 of representatives and the senate, adopt their own form of state
11 government and constitution, and have the benefit of the powers not
12 reserved to the federal government in the constitution.
13 SECTION 4. This bill shall go into effect at the start of November 2021.
14 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.
Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Rusk High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Bill to Amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to Eliminate Disability-Based Wage Discrimination
1 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS UIL CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
2 SECTION 1. Disabled individuals shall not be paid below the federal minimum wage
3 established for non-disabled individuals.
4 SECTION 2. Under the current Fair Labor Standards Act, disabled individuals may be
5 paid as low as $0.30 per hour as opposed to the federal minimum wage
6 of $7.25 per hour.
7 SECTION 3. Implementation of this bill will be overseen by the Wage and Hour
8 Division of the United States Department of Labor.
9 SECTION 4. This bill shall go into effect on January 1, 2022.
10 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Henderson High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
The “No Wall Here Thank You” Bill or A Bill to Safeguard Indigenous Land from Eminent Domain
1 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS UIL CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
2 SECTION 1. All indigenous land within California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas
3 cannot be decimated by any construction of a border wall unless granted
4 permission by the indigenous tribes.
5 SECTION 2. Indigenous land is defined as lawful tribal territory.
6 SECTION 3. The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the United
7 States Department of Agriculture office of Rural Development will
8 oversee enforcement of this bill.
9 SECTION 4. This bill shall go into effect immediately.
10 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void. Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Tatum High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Bill to Pay for Junior College for All Citizens to Increase Access to Education
1 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS UIL CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
2 SECTION 1. All students in the United States with a high school diploma or graduate
3 equivalency degree (GED) will be able to attend any public junior college
4 at no cost to the individual student or student’s family.
5 SECTION 2. Junior colleges will be defined as a college offering courses for two years
6 beyond high school, either as a complete training or in preparation for
7 completion at a four-year college.
8 SECTION 3. The U.S. Department of Education will oversee the allocation of funding
9 for this legislation.
10 A. This legislation will appropriate federal funds to cover the cost of
11 fees, tuition, and living expenses needed for the completion of a
12 certificate or degree.
13 B. The funds will be allocated directly to the colleges after registration
14 each semester.
15 C. Students must maintain a passing grade to continue to receive
16 benefits.
17 SECTION 4. This bill shall go into effect before the fall semester of 2021.
18 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.
Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Tyler Legacy High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.
A Bill to Move Federal Elections to the Weekend to Increase Participation Among Voters
1 BE IT ENACTED BY THIS UIL CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
2 SECTION 1. Federal elections will be held on the second Saturday and Sunday
3 following the second Friday in November every federal election cycle to
4 permit more Americans the ability to vote expressing their views through
5 their candidate of choice. This two-day voting block provides greater
6 opportunities to those who work during the week, reducing recent trends
7 of record low voter turnout.
8 SECTION 2. The term federal election can be defined as any election held nationwide
9 that appoints a person to a federal position whether be presidency,
10 congress, house and so on and so forth.
11 SECTION 3. The United States Office of Public Affairs will oversee that federal
12 election days are observed in the format of a two-day block.
13 SECTION 4. This bill will go into effect in the next federal election cycle.
14 SECTION 5. All laws in conflict with this legislation are hereby declared null and void.
Introduced for UIL Congressional Debate by Chireno High School.
We certify that the legislation submitted by this school for this Congress is the original work of the students of our school and has permission to be presented.