How to Write a Bill Activity Example Template and Instructions.doc

How to Write a Bill for Student Congress Competition

Brainstorming and Research

Brainstorm to identify societal or governmental problems and possible solutions that you or other students would like to debate.

Choose a problem and solution that leaves room for debate. For example, a bill to legalize marijuana has plenty of ground both for and against the solution. Conversely, a bill to cure cancer is a more difficult proposition because no one will want to argue against it.

Search the Internet or other reference materials for information about your topic.

Compare your ideas with laws that have been proposed and enacted in your state house and the U.S. Congress. The Library of Congress keeps a free database of U.S. Congressional Bills called THOMAS.

Writing a Bill

Title your bill, beginning with the words "A Bill to ...": for instance, "A Bill to Ban Texting While Driving" or "A Bill to Mandate Eighth-Graders Receive HPV Vaccinations." Center your title in the middle of the page.

Number each line of your bill. Count each line of the bill, not each sentence. Add a few spaces or a tab between the number and the text.

Begin Line 1 with the phrase, "Be it enacted by the student congress here assembled that . . . " and finish that sentence with a few words summarizing your proposed law. Do not type any part of this sentence in all capital letters or in bold print.

Follow this sentence with a succinct explanation of what your bill would do.

Include any of the four sections listed below to improve understanding or debate of the bill. A concluding statement is not necessary or desirable.

Writing the Four Sections

Type "Section 1:" on the next new line. After the colon, begin stipulating exactly what your law will do and require. Section 1 may include a subsection explaining vocabulary or special terms and a subsection listing additional requirements for your law. Each subsection should be labeled "Subsection 1a,"

Type "Section 2:" on a new line. After the colon, carefully explain who will enforce your law and how. Additional subsections can explain whether multiple agencies will enforce different aspects of the law. For example, a law requiring a vaccine may require one agency to purchase the vaccine and another

organization to administer it.

Type "Section 3:" on a new line. After the colon, describe the funding for your law. Every bill needs start-up funds. Criminal laws and other prohibitive bills might have consequences such as jail or fines, which you can include as an additional funding source for the bill. Include multiple subsections for penalties.

Type "Section 4: This bill will be enacted on . . . " and whatever future date you deem appropriate on the next new line. Laws are often enacted on Jan. 1; at the start of a fiscal year on July 1; and occasionally at the start of the school year on Aug. 1 or Sept. 1.

Template

Attached is a template to follow when writing your bill, you can find this template online if you want to type directly on the template on the below link.

Sample Bill

Also attached is a sample bill to be used as a guide in writing your own bill.

Links

The following are websites/links that may be helpful to you in writing your bill: www.pennmc.org

Mock Congress Bill Topics listed Economics, Business, and Labor

Estate taxes Corporate taxes

Losses in manufacturing Bank and finance regulation Insurance fraud

Job Growth in Private sector Labor Relations

Ethical consumerism Property tax reform Trade barriers/ tariffs National sales tax Stop making pennies Tax on offshore jobs Animal Rights

Animals used in experimentation/testing Animal cruelty in raising animals for food Endangered species

Invasive species Animal rescue/ adoption Humane treatment of animals Education/ Youth Issues HS Graduation Rates

Preschool as part of public education Illiteracy

Educational Reform Pell Grants

Poverty among young people Gangs

Juvenile Justice System College Costs

Cyber bullying

Educational gap/ minorities Vocational classes/ trade school

Gap in education between girls and boys Textbook censorship

Title IX

Student loan debt Mandatory vaccination Open school later in the day Lower test scores

Teacher training/ certification Health

HMO regulation

Communicable Disease FDA- drug approval

Addiction/ Drug use Americas Food crisis Mental health care

Food safety and inspection Obesity

Stem Cell Research Soda Tax

Emergency rooms Single payer healthcare Concussions in sports Junk food tax Corn syrup and sugar Food allergies Mental health care Environment/ Energy

Biofuels/ ethanol

Toxin tax on polluting industries Hydrogen fuel cell research Energy producer regulation Alternative energy- wind, solar Global warming

Over fishing

Forest management- fires Gas price regulation Oil exploration/ drilling Natural gas

Fracking,

Water supply/drought Water pollution

Air pollution- emissions from cars, power plants, emission standards Plastic bottles/ bags/waste

Trading rights for carbon emission Electric cars

Recycling Coal

Mercury contamination Nuclear waste/ power plants Criminal Law/ Justice System Prison Reform

Police brutality Racial profiling Death Penalty

Mandatory sentencing for drug crimes 3 strikes law

DNA database Identity theft

Educate and train prisoners Copper theft

Eliminate Stand Your Ground laws Pay college athletes

Transportation

Public transport systems Civil Liberties/ Rights Gender identification Right to Die/ euthanasia Racial profiling Police brutality

NSA/ data mining/ wire tapping Minimum wage

Eliminate birth right citizenship

Social Welfare/ Social Issues Food Stamps

Social Security Workers compensation Ethical Consumerism Homelessness Unemployment

Welfare fraud/ drug testing Poverty

Income inequality Medicare reform Medicaid reform Mortgage relief Equal pay for women Food Insecurity

Allow prisoners to work in agriculture Immigration

Immigration reform Dream Act

Illegal immigrant children

Immigration- Close the border or amnesty or guest worker program Health insurance for immigrants

Deportation National Security Airport Security War in Afghanistan Drone strikes

Guantanamo Bay Prison-future Port security

Nuclear proliferation

Ban and destroy all landmines Politics/ Government Affirmative action Abolish Electoral College Problems w/ Post Office Veterans Administration reform Voter ID laws

Campaign finance disclosure

Splitting up a states electoral vote by congressional district Removing “In God We Trust”

Voting reform/Voter ID laws Cut defense spending Technology

Cyber Security

Cell phone usage while driving Net neutrality

Spam

Example Bill for Congress Template

Committee:

Principal Author:

Bill No:

Topic:

Title of Bill:

Freedom of Marriage Act

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Preamble: Whereas same-sex civil unions are legal only in California, Hawaii and Vermont,

and since same-sex marriage is only legal in Massachusetts, and since marriage is currently

defined as a union between a man and woman, and since the Defense of Marriage Act

prevents same-sex couples from receiving family health coverage, medical and bereavement

leave, child custody, tax benefits and pension plans, and since the Supreme Court declared

marriage as a fundamental right under the Constitution,

SECTION 1: Let the definition of marriage be only a legal union between one man and one

woman, one man and one man and one woman and one woman.

SECTION 2: Let married couples, as defined in SECTION 1, and persons in a civil union

receive all rights and benefits reserved for married couples under the definition of marriage

in the Defense of Marriage Act.

SECTION 3: Let same-sex couples receive equal opportunity, privilege and right to adopt a

child.

SECTION 4: Let states receive increased federal funding.

Sub-SECTION A: 15% increase in highway funding and 10% increase in discretionary

funding when adopting SECTION 1

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2018

Committee:

Principal Author:

Bill No:

Topic:

Title of Bill:

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