Humanities
Model Senate
For This project, each student was first asigned a real senator to play. We then researched the position of our senator on three general issues: climate change, college debt, and immigration and were assiged one of these issues to research further. After the research, we paired up with another senator and wrote mock legislation on our issue. Once all of the legislation was written, the bills were read and one was chosen from each of the three committees. After all of the senatrs read adn familiarized themselves with the bills, a three day exhibition was held. On the first day, we split up into the three committees and proposed ammendments to the bills. On the second day, we voted on said ammendments and then the bill as a whole. During the second day the climate change bill didnt recieve enought votes to pass so we were left with just the immigration bill and the colllege debt bill. For the third and fianl day, we came together as one senate and voted on the wto remaining billls. The immigration bill passed but was killed with an executive veto, and the college debt bill did not recieve the votes to pass.
Here is a copy of the Bill I co-wrote as Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake.
Animas High School Model Senate
Committee: Judiciary/ Immigration
Principal Authors:
Jeff Flake [Brynn Nelson] -Republican
Jeanne Shaheen [Dana Stahl]-Democrat
Bill No:
Submission Date:11/11/2016
Title of Bill:Visa Reform and Refinement of the Citizenship Process
Be It Enacted By The Animas High School Model Congress
Preamble:Whereas in 2012, the Department of Homeland Security estimated that there were 11.4 million illegal immigrants living in the United States and an estimated 500,000 immigrants that illegally overstayed their temporary United States visas that expired in 2015 out of 45 million issued, and since there were 2.5 million immigrants illegally crossing U.S. borders in 2015, and since the amount of fiscal visas issued significantly dropped in 2009 from 12 million to 10 million with B1 visas, and from around 8 million to 6 million with H2B visas, H2A visas, F1 visas, H1B visas, and Worldwide Non-Immigrant visas, and since it costs 132 dollars per person, per night to be detained in preparation of deportation and a person is detained for an average of 6 months, and the ICE alone detained 235,000 people in 2015, ICE detention costs US taxpayers over 5,670 million dollars each year,
SECTION 1: Increase the number of T and U visas available from 10,000 to 60,000 in order to assist victims of crime and human trafficking by 2020.
Sub-SECTION A: Repurposing 7% of ICE detention centers budget to said visas.
Sub-SECTION B: Increasing total time of visa by 5 years; allowing T and U visa carriers to apply for citizenship after 2 years and promote a growing economy.
SECTION 2: Decrease the ten year bar to a 6 month waiting period in home country for visa eligibility to allow for a more accessible visa process.
SECTION 3: Increase worker visa expiration to 2 years after acquiring
Sub-SECTION A: Defunding ICE detention centers by 15% to supply utilization of foreign workforce.
SECTION 4: Modify cost of bonds for immigrant detainees from 10,000 to 500 dollars
Sub-SECTION A: Immigrant must sustain themselves with necessities, (food, housing, transportation).
Sub-SECTION B: Immigrant must report to detention officer weekly.
SECTION 5: Families with children who have assumed citizenship who are facing deportation may return to their home country and apply for visa with top priority
Sub-SECTION A: U.S. born children with legal status may stay in foster care for up to 6 months while parent acquires legal status; if parent never acquires legal status, parents may chose for child to return to home country or stay in foster care system.
SECTION 6: This bill shall go into effect 60 days after passage
Animas High School Model Senate
Committee: Judiciary/ Immigration
Principal Authors:
Jeff Flake [Brynn Nelson] -Republican
Jeanne Shaheen [Dana Stahl]-Democrat
Bill No:
Submission Date:11/11/2016
Title of Bill:Visa Reform and Refinement of the Citizenship Process
Be It Enacted By The Animas High School Model Congress
Preamble:Whereas in 2012, the Department of Homeland Security estimated that there were 11.4 million illegal immigrants living in the United States and an estimated 500,000 immigrants that illegally overstayed their temporary United States visas that expired in 2015 out of 45 million issued, and since there were 2.5 million immigrants illegally crossing U.S. borders in 2015, and since the amount of fiscal visas issued significantly dropped in 2009 from 12 million to 10 million with B1 visas, and from around 8 million to 6 million with H2B visas, H2A visas, F1 visas, H1B visas, and Worldwide Non-Immigrant visas, and since it costs 132 dollars per person, per night to be detained in preparation of deportation and a person is detained for an average of 6 months, and the ICE alone detained 235,000 people in 2015, ICE detention costs US taxpayers over 5,670 million dollars each year,
SECTION 1: Increase the number of T and U visas available from 10,000 to 60,000 in order to assist victims of crime and human trafficking by 2020.
Sub-SECTION A: Repurposing 7% of ICE detention centers budget to said visas.
Sub-SECTION B: Increasing total time of visa by 5 years; allowing T and U visa carriers to apply for citizenship after 2 years and promote a growing economy.
SECTION 2: Decrease the ten year bar to a 6 month waiting period in home country for visa eligibility to allow for a more accessible visa process.
SECTION 3: Increase worker visa expiration to 2 years after acquiring
Sub-SECTION A: Defunding ICE detention centers by 15% to supply utilization of foreign workforce.
SECTION 4: Modify cost of bonds for immigrant detainees from 10,000 to 500 dollars
Sub-SECTION A: Immigrant must sustain themselves with necessities, (food, housing, transportation).
Sub-SECTION B: Immigrant must report to detention officer weekly.
SECTION 5: Families with children who have assumed citizenship who are facing deportation may return to their home country and apply for visa with top priority
Sub-SECTION A: U.S. born children with legal status may stay in foster care for up to 6 months while parent acquires legal status; if parent never acquires legal status, parents may chose for child to return to home country or stay in foster care system.
SECTION 6: This bill shall go into effect 60 days after passage
Here is a copy of the speech I wrote endoraing the immigration legislation.
Brynn Nelson
Hi I’m Arizona republican senator Jeff Flake on the Judiciary Committee advocating for bill number 3-2016 about immigration enforcement and visa reform.
While some may see this bill as too severe for immigrants with legal residence in the United States, it provides a carefully thought out and just system to both allow immigrants to partake in and support the US community and economy, as well as be monitored to better eliminate illegal immigrant residence and visa overstays.
By appropriating a portion of CIS budget, so many more people can be a part of this country. 26.3 million people in the US workforce are immigrants, as well 30 percent of our college’s students. This bill focuses on these groups, which means that we can look at what immigrants are bringing, rather then what we are losing by them being here. It creates a distinction between visa carriers and solidifies the fact that immigration isn’t exclusively permanent. We can allow temporary visas because they are so regulated, and we can know that to a greater extent, the people benefiting from this country are also the people contributing.
We need US citizens and immigrants alike to be held accountable. Section 5 sets a fair system into place that verifies the legal status of immigrants participating in the workforce, and it enforces the laws we already have in place to help dictate the 11.4 million immigrants currently residing in the US. Lines 57-75 holds them accountable for maintaining a job and creates regularity between the American workforce and the visa holders who occupy the jobs within. Subsection E establishes accountability for employers by mandating the I-9 form to insure legal status of employees. These resolutions mean that we as Americans have an opportunity to expand and seek out the best from more than just our country, but it also allows us to regulate that in an efficient and safe way.
Immigration and visa reform is a highly controversial topic, and this bill provides a creative, well thought out, and fair solution to the problem. Comprehensive employment based visas give workers from other countries a chance to be a part of the job market, and mandating e-verify and I-9 regulations make it harder for illegal immigrants to benefit from the same assets. It offers a distinction between short and long term visas which gives more the chance to seek out opportunities beyond their home country.
This bill gives more people than ever before the chance to pursue the American dream and protects those who are already fortunate enough to do so. It allows the US to gain talent from beyond our nation’s borders and other nations to participate in those benefits.
Brynn Nelson
Hi I’m Arizona republican senator Jeff Flake on the Judiciary Committee advocating for bill number 3-2016 about immigration enforcement and visa reform.
While some may see this bill as too severe for immigrants with legal residence in the United States, it provides a carefully thought out and just system to both allow immigrants to partake in and support the US community and economy, as well as be monitored to better eliminate illegal immigrant residence and visa overstays.
By appropriating a portion of CIS budget, so many more people can be a part of this country. 26.3 million people in the US workforce are immigrants, as well 30 percent of our college’s students. This bill focuses on these groups, which means that we can look at what immigrants are bringing, rather then what we are losing by them being here. It creates a distinction between visa carriers and solidifies the fact that immigration isn’t exclusively permanent. We can allow temporary visas because they are so regulated, and we can know that to a greater extent, the people benefiting from this country are also the people contributing.
We need US citizens and immigrants alike to be held accountable. Section 5 sets a fair system into place that verifies the legal status of immigrants participating in the workforce, and it enforces the laws we already have in place to help dictate the 11.4 million immigrants currently residing in the US. Lines 57-75 holds them accountable for maintaining a job and creates regularity between the American workforce and the visa holders who occupy the jobs within. Subsection E establishes accountability for employers by mandating the I-9 form to insure legal status of employees. These resolutions mean that we as Americans have an opportunity to expand and seek out the best from more than just our country, but it also allows us to regulate that in an efficient and safe way.
Immigration and visa reform is a highly controversial topic, and this bill provides a creative, well thought out, and fair solution to the problem. Comprehensive employment based visas give workers from other countries a chance to be a part of the job market, and mandating e-verify and I-9 regulations make it harder for illegal immigrants to benefit from the same assets. It offers a distinction between short and long term visas which gives more the chance to seek out opportunities beyond their home country.
This bill gives more people than ever before the chance to pursue the American dream and protects those who are already fortunate enough to do so. It allows the US to gain talent from beyond our nation’s borders and other nations to participate in those benefits.