2016 Mercer Rotary Tournament

A Resolution to Pool Funds for Education #1

1 Whereas, currently, the property tax directly affects a school’s funding;

2 Whereas, the amount of school funding relates to the quality of a student’s education;

3 Whereas, if the money from the property tax is pooled from all districts and divided by

4 the number of students, then each school will be equally funded per student enrolled;

5 Whereas, when schools are equally financed, then each student will have the same

6 opportunity for their education;

7 Therefore, let it be resolved by the Student Congress here assembled that the money

8 from property taxes be pooled and divided by the number of students enrolled to ensure

9 an equal chance at a full education.

Respectfully submitted,

Lakeview Christian Academy

A Resolution to Create a Four Day Work Week #2

  1. Whereas: According to an online article written by Professor Goose, a four
  2. day work week would save 162,133,333 gallons of gasoline annually; and
  3. Whereas: This would significantly decrease the amount of greenhouse
  4. gases released into the atmosphere; and
  5. Whereas: Creating a four day work week will save a significant amount of
  6. money;
  7. Whereas: Creating a four day work week would decrease 10%-20% of oil
  8. needed per week; and
  9. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Student Congress here
  10. assembled that: The United States work week will be reduced to four
  11. days, each day extended two hours each day

Respectfully Submitted,

North Catholic

Making voting mandatory in United States #3

1Be it enacted by the Student Congress here assembled:

2ArticleI:All citizens of United States are hereby required to vote in

3Referendums, General Elections, Presidential Elections, Primary

4Elections, and Local elections.

5ArticleII:Because of its unpredictable occurrence, voting in

6By-elections and Co-options will not be mandatory.

7ArticleIII: States will still be allowed to determine voter eligibility. Ex: States

8 that allow their 17-year-old citizens to vote in their primary

9caucuses would still be able to implement their law.

10Article IV:The voter turnout in United States has been going

11downhill since 1960s and the voter turnout in 2010 has been

12noted as only 41.5% of the total voting population.

13Article V:A high turnout is important for a proper democratic mandate and

14the functioning of democracy. In this sense voting is a civic duty

15like Jury service.

16 Article VI: In Australia, voter registration and attendance at a polling booth

17has been mandatory since 1920. This strictly enforced law has

18 resulted in a 98% voter turnout.

19ArticleVII:A high voter turnout will result in the best estimated result from a

20majority opinion and will then be responsible for proper

21functioning of democratic values in United States.

22Article VI: This bill shall take effect immediately upon passage.

23ArticleVII:All laws in conflict with this bill will hereby be declared null and

24void.

Respectfully submitted,

CYHS

A Resolution to Abolish Birthright Citizenship in the United States #4

1WHEREAS: Every child born in the United States is automatically granted

2citizenship regardless of parent legal status.

3WHEREAS: Out of 194 nations, the United States is one of only 30

4.nations that grant birthright citizenship.

5.WHEREAS: According to a study done by the Pew Hispanic Center of the

6.Census Bureau, in 2008, as many as 340,000 of the 4.3 million babies

7.born in the United States had at least one illegal parent.

8.WHEREAS: Illegal immigrants use “anchor babies” as a means by which

9.they can stay in the United States.

10.WHEREAS: Misguided intention often leads to child neglect.

11.WHEREAS: The issue of overpopulation is a growing problem in the

12.United States.

13Therefore, be it resolved by the PHSSL student congress here assembled

14that birthright citizenship in the United States be abolished.

Respectfully submitted,

Iroquois High School

Resolution to Remove Detention from Schools #5

1 Whereas: After school and Saturday detentions do not affect how a student thinks or acts, only 2 keeps the student from going home on their bus, and forces the parents tofit their schedules 3 to the detention times and, 4 Whereas: In school suspensions, students are simply completing work, not being instructed or 5 taught by a teacher and, 6 Whereas: Teachers who are scheduled to supervise detentionsare no more than baby sitters 7 during this time, cutting into the teachers’ home life and, 8 Whereas: Students who are not allowed to do other class assignments will either not get all 9 their homework done, or stay up late trying to finish it all, cutting into their sleeping hours, 10 effecting their school performance the next day and,

11 Therefore Be It Resolved: School Detention and In-School Suspension will be removed

12 from each public school, and a new form of punishment be instituted by what each school 13 believes would be effective for their student body.

Respectfully Submitted by,

Lakeview High School

A Resolution Concerning Welfare Recipients #6

1Whereas, the state governments have given as much as 42.1 billion

2billion dollars in welfare between 2001-2008.

3Whereas, in 2010, Representative Craig Blair, R-Berkley, introduced

4 legislation that would force the random drug testing of individuals

5wishing to receive welfare.

6Whereas, according to a New York Times article, in 2003, 8% of

7welfare recipients in Detroit, Michigan tested positive for drug use.

8Whereas, those few people who do abuse the welfare system by using it

9to possibly feed a drug addiction are prohibiting those who truly need

10help from receiving the full amount that they possibly can.

11Therefore, be it resolved that: those wishing to receive welfare benefits

12should have to undergo a mandatory, random drug test.

13Therefore, be it further resolved that: the drugs being tested for as well

14as the consequences of testing positive shall be left to the individual

15states.

Respectfully Submitted,

Shady Side Academy

A Resolution to Abolish Trials as Adults for Minors #7

1.WHEREAS: Developmental research does not provide a clear cut boundary

2.between adulthood and adolescence.

3.WHEREAS: It is shown that adolescents cannot control their impulses or foresee 4.the consequences of their actions as adequately as adults can.

5.WHEREAS: Rehabilitation is more beneficial to address than punishment for

6.minors.

7.WHEREAS: Studies show that children tried in adult courts are more likely to be 8.rearrested.

9.WHEREAS: In states such as Florida that allow minors to be prosecuted as

10.adults have the highest juvenile crime rates.

11.THEREFORE: Let it be resolved by the PHSSL student congress here

12.assembled, that trials as adults for minors are unjust.

Respectfully submitted,

Mercer Jr / Sr. High School

A Bill to Make Exotic Pets Illegal Nation-Wide #8

BE IT ENACTED BY THIS CONGRESS THAT:

1. SECTION 1. Private ownership of exotic pets shall be made illegal throughout the

2.United States of America.

3. SECTION 2.Exotic pets shall be defined as wild animals that are unable to be

4. domesticated by humans.

5. SECTION 3. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Control shall oversee

  1. the enforcement of this bill through surveillance techniques of animalsbeing
  2. imported to the country and being moved within the country. Theyshall
  3. repossess any exotic animals they discover and donate them to thenearest
  4. zoothat can house them.

10. SECTION 4. Enforcement of this bill shall begin on 1 January 2012, but will

  1. provide two months for any current owners of exotic pets to get rid of
  2. their animals via legal means.
  3. SECTION 5.All other laws that are in conflict with this new policy shall hereby be
  4. declared null and void.

Introduced by Mercyhurst Preparatory School

A Bill to Initialize an Audit of the Federal Reserve Board #12

  1. Whereas, we are currently in a state of economic downturn.
  2. Whereas, the Fed with a minor investigation has revealed it gave over 16 trillion dollars to
  3. foreign and domestic companies.
  4. Whereas, the Fed is currently unaudited at any point in time giving them an unnecessary
  5. amount of power.
  6. Whereas, the Fed is not doing an effective job of keeping the economy stable and should
  7. be reformed.
  8. Be it resolved by the Congress here today, an audit of the Federal Reserve Board be
  9. initialized to create greater transparency and responsibility of the part of the Fed and to
  10. better accomplish the job of keeping the United States economy stable.

Respectfully Submitted,

T.J. Belsterling, Quigley Catholic H.S.

A Resolution to Publically Endorse Environmentalism #13

Whereas, oxygen is necessary for human life, and plants produce oxygen

Whereas, to promote environmentalism all government buildings and offices will be required to have plants

Whereas, these plants will placed in all rooms and windows possible

Whereas, due to allergies a list of approved plants such as which produce little pollen with be comprised

Whereas, the plants in personal offices and their windows will be filled at the office inhabitants discretion while hallway, conference room and other communal windows/areas be filled in whatever way is deemed most appropriate by that particular group provided that living plants from the approved list are there

Whereas, buildings that the general public should not know of and skyscrapers will be exempt from the window mandate

Whereas, people will be allowed to request permission to have edible plants in their office provided they are willing to buy said plant themselves

Whereas, finding funds for the plants will fall to the organization itself

Whereas, not all plants must be bought at once as long as the building meets the requirements within two years of the law’s passage they will be considered in compliance

Let it be resolved that all government buildings will be required to have plants

Respectfully submitted

Keystone Oaks School District

A Bill to Require Immigrant Screenings in Order to Enter a Country #14

  1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE STUDENT CONGRESS HERE ASSEMBLED THAT:
  2. Section 1: The United States shall require a mandatory screening of all immigrants seeking to
  3. enter the country
  4. Section 2: An immigrant is defined as “a person who comes permanently to live in a country”
  5. Section 3: The United States Department of Homeland Security will go over the screenings to
  6. make sure that all immigrants are properly vetted before entering the country.
  7. Section 4: The Department of Homeland Security will administer a sufficient and thorough
  8. background check on each immigrant before they are allowed to enter the United States.
  9. Section 5: This legislation goes into effect immediately upon its passage to ensure proper
  10. security for the citizens of the United States
  11. Section 6: All laws in conflict with this will be hereby declared null and void

Respectfully Submitted,

Vincentian Academy