Political Science (Writing Legislation Paper)

Simulation  Assignment  #3  –  Writing  Legislation     Due:  April  10th  at  11:59  PM  (on  Moodle)   Length:  No  more  than  two  pages  (following  the  format  of  the  sample  legislation)     There  are  several  different  types  of  legislation.    For  this  assignment  you  are  writing  a  “public   bill”  for  introduction  into  the  House  of  Representatives.  Public  bills  are  items  of  legislation  that   affect  the  general  welfare  or  address  a  general  question.    Therefore,  you’re  writing  a  potential   policy  that  affects  a  wide  range  of  the  general  public  (or,  at  least,  your  constituents).  Your   public  bill  will  be  placed  on  the  House  Calendar.    Again,  there  are  several  different  types  of   legislative  calendars  depending  on  the  type  of  legislation  being  debated.    However,  we  are   simplifying  the  process  by  using  a  single  calendar  for  all  bills.     All  bills  will  be  introduced  in  the  second  session  of  the  114th  Congress.    You  do  not  need  to  give   your  bill  an  “H.R.  number.”  Use  the  sample  legislation  as  a  formatting  guide.       Use  the  following  websites  to  find  legislation  introduced  by  the  representative  you  are  playing,   or  create  your  own  legislation  based  on  your  representative’s  policy  goals  (refer  to  assignment   #2  for  ideas).  Use  any  legislation  you  find  as  a  guide,  but  know  that  you  not  not  have  include   every  single  aspect  of  the  legislation  into  your  assignment.     Your  representative’s  .gov  website   The  library  of  Congress  database  –  www.congress.gov  (you  can  search  by  House  member)       Steps  for  Writing  your  Legislation     Step  1  –  Write  a  statement  of  purpose  for  the  legislation  you  intend  to  propose.    Some  elements   are  common  to  all  pieces  of  legislation.  For  example,  every  piece  of  legislation  has  a  statement   of  purpose  that  can  be  found  directly  beneath  its  number.    This  statement  of  purpose  explains   what  the  bill  is  about.    If  you  look  at  the  sample  legislation,  you’ll  notice  these  statements  of   purpose  come  immediately  following  the  notation,  “A  bill  to…”     Step  2  –  Give  your  legislation  a  title.    In  addition  to  a  statement  of  purpose,  most  major   legislation  also  includes  a  title—that  is,  a  way  of  referring  to  the  legislation.    Sometimes  these   titles  are  simply  descriptive  (e.g.,  “Nuclear  Threat  Reduction  Act”);  other  times,  they  can  be   catchy  phrases  or  can  be  converted  to  easy-­‐to-­‐remember  acronyms  (e.g,  “Racketeer  Influenced   and  Corrupt  Organizations  Act  or  RICO).  The  title  should  begin  “Section  1”  after  your  statement   of  purpose.     Below  the  title  you  need  to  include  a  brief  paragraph  telling  everyone  that  you  are  introducing   the  bill.    Additionally,  you  should  include  the  committee  you  would  like  the  bill  to  be  referred   to.    Therefore,  you  need  to  review  the  committee  descriptions  to  ensure  you  select  the

appropriate  committee  (found  at  the  end  of  this  document).  It  is  generally  a  good  idea  to  pick  a   policy  issue  covered  by  the  committee  you  are  assigned  to.     Step  3  –  Draft  as  least  one,  but  as  many  as  are  needed,  statements  of  findings  or  “whereas”   clauses  for  your  legislation.    Many  pieces  of  legislation  include  a  justification  for  the  legislation.     In  this  case,  the  justification  comes  in  the  form  of  a  statement  of  findings,  which  comes  after   your  title.    You  will  need  to  present  some  justification  for  your  legislation.     Step  3  –  Outline  the  major  themes  of  your  legislation.    The  remainder  of  the  legislation  should   be  focused  on  the  substance  of  what  it  is  you  are  trying  to  accomplish.    As  you  write  this   section,  you  will  need  to  separate  your  main  ideas  into  major  headings  and  include  details   about  each  of  the  subheadings.    These  details  could  include  the  appropriation  of  funds  to   support  the  legislation;  they  might  specify  to  whom  the  legislation  will  apply  (what  part  of  the   population?);  and/or  these  details  may  simply  clarify  your  major  themes.  Be  as  broad  or  specific   as  you  feel  is  necessary  to  get  your  message  across.    Your  major  themes  should  be  a  part  of   section  3  in  your  legislation.    Refer  to  the  sample  legislation  to  guide  you  through  this  process.     Step  4  –  Draft  the  approach  sunrise  and  sunset  provisions  in  your  legislation.    A  sunrise   provision  sets  a  date  for  the  legislation  to  take  effect.    A  sunset  provision  sets  a  date—if  you  so   desire—for  the  legislation  to  expire.    All  legislation  includes  some  form  of  sunrise  provisions.   Your  sunrise/sunset  provisions  should  be  a  part  of  section  3  of  your  legislation.

Sample  Legislation   **Here’s  the  link  to  the  actual  legislation  introduced  by  Brad  Sherman  (D-­‐CA)  I  used  to  create   this  sample:  https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-­‐congress/house-­‐bill/4312?resultIndex=2

114th  Congress   2nd  Session   H.R.  XXXX

A  bill  to  amend  the  Iran  Threat  Reduction  and  Syrian  Human  Rights  Act  of  2012  to  require  the   President  to  block  and  prohibit  transactions  in  property  and  property  interests  of  a  foreign   person  that  knowingly  supports  certain  transactions  with  Iran’s  Revolutionary  Guard  Corps   (IRGC)  or  other  sanctioned  persons  if  that  property  and  those  property  interests  are  in  the   United  States,  come  within  the  United  States,  or  are  or  come  within  the  possession  or  control   of  a  U.S.  person.     Section  1.  Title:       Iran’s  Revolutionary  Guard  Corps  Sanctions  Implementation  and  Review  Act     Mr.  Sherman  (for  himself)  introduced  the  following  bill;  which  was  referred  to  the  Committee   on  International  Relations  and  National  Security.     Section  2.  Statements  of  Findings:

(1)  The  IRGC  has  helped  train  and  equip  proxy  groups  and  Iraqi  Shiite  insurgents,  and   elements  of  the  Taliban,  which  have  targeted  and  killed  United  States  and  other  allied   forces  in  Iraq  and  Afghanistan

(2)  The  Government  of  Iran  continues  to  engage  in  serious,  systematic,  and  ongoing   violations  of  human  rights,  including  suppression  of  freedom  of  expression  and  religious   freedom,  illegitimate  detention,  torture,  and  executions,  without  affording  anything   resembling  an  adequate  due  process.

(3)  The  IRGC  plays  a  significant  role  in  many  of  Iran’s  human  rights  abuses.   (4)  Strengthening  sanctions  against  the  IRGC,  ensuring  that  the  United  States  Government

identify  and  designate  more  of  the  affiliated  entities  through  which  the  IRGC  operates   will  help  deprive  the  IRGC  of  resources  needed  to  carry  out  its  nefarious  activities.

Section  3.  Major  Themes:

(1)  Amend  subsection  (b)  of  section  302  of  the  Iran  Threat  Reduction  and  Syrian  Human   Rights  Act  of  2012  by  adding,  “the  President  shall  block  and  prohibit  all  transactions  in   property  and  interests  in  property  with  respect  to  such  foreign  person  if  such  property

and  interests  in  property  are  in  the  United  States,  come  within  the  United  States,  or  are   or  come  within  the  possession  or  control  of  a  United  States  person.”

(2)  The  Comptroller  General  of  the  United  States  shall  submit  to  the  President  and  the   appropriate  congressional  committees  a  report  identifying  foreign  persons  not  currently   subject  to  sanctions  under  subsection  (b)  of  section  302  who  knowingly  engaging  in  an   activity  described  by  the  amended  section.

(3)  If  sufficient  evidence  to  impose  sanctions  exists,  the  President  shall  submit  to  the   appropriate  congressional  committees  a  report  containing  the  result  of  the  review  and   impose  all  sanctions  under  subsection  (b).

(4)  Sunrise  provision  –  The  amendment  to  subsection  (b)  shall  take  effect  after  the  date   that  is  180  days  after  the  date  of  the  enactment  of  this  Act.

Committee  Descriptions

Infrastructure

The  Committee  on  Infrastructure  will  consider  all  legislation  that  deals  specifically  with   transportation,  national  resources,  and  science  and  technology  issues.    These  issues  include,   but  are  not  limited  to,  agriculture,  forestry,  ecology,  energy  policy,  environmental  policy,   emerging  technologies,  highways  and  public  roads,  bridges,  railways,  airline  regulation,  and  air   travel.

International  Relations  and  National  Security

The  IR/NS  Committee  will  consider  all  legislation  dealing  with  bilateral  or  multilateral   relationships  between  the  U.S.  and  other  countries.    It  will  also  consider  any  legislation  dealing   with  international  trade,  global  markets,  espionage,  diplomacy,  drug  trafficking  and   interdiction,  the  military,  base  closures,  and  immigration.

Health,  Education,  and  Welfare

The  Health,  Education,  and  Welfare  Committee  will  consider  all  legislation  that  deals  with   health,  education,  and  welfare  issues.    These  issues  include,  but  are  not  limited  to,  health  care   policy,  Medicare,  Medicaid,  pharmaceutical  drugs,  Social  Security,  Aid  to  Families  with   Dependent  Children  (and  other  poverty  programs),  education  policy,  teacher  testing,  national   testing  standards,  and  student  loans.

Economic  Affairs

The  Economic  Affairs  Committee  will  review  any  piece  of  legislation  that  deals  with  interstate   trade,  labor  issues,  consumer  protection  and  consumer  affairs,  securities  and  exchange  (the   stock  market,  antitrust,  monopolies,  etc.),  work-­‐incentive  programs,  or  other  economic   issues.    This  committee  will  also  take  on  the  responsibility  of  the  House  Ways  and  Means   Committee  and  will  be  responsible  for  reviewing  legislation  referred  to  it  to  determine  its   effects  on  the  U.S.  budget.    Such  legislation  would  include  anything  proposing  a  tax  increase  or   tax  cut.

Government  and  Judiciary

The  Government  and  Judiciary  Committee  will  deal  with  all  internal  matters  relating  to  the   workings  or  the  conduct  of  the  government,  reforms  of  the  House  or  other  government   entities,  and  rules  for  members  of  the  legislative  branch.    Issue  such  as  crime,  drugs,  abortion,   and  gun  control  would  also  fall  under  this  committee’s  jurisdiction.    In  addition,  this  committee   will  deal  with  any  veterans’  issues.