Senate Legislation Introduction Thread (New)

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Raise the Wage Act

SENATE BILL

To gradually increase the federal minimum wage

Be it enacted,

Section I: The Minimum Wage

1. 29 U.S.C shall be amended as follows:

(1) except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than $15.00 $19.50 an hour;

2. F.L. 29-18 Rewarding Hard Work Act shall be amended as follows:

a) Starting from January 1, 2022 2024, the federal minimum wage shall increase by $2 $1.50 at the start of each year until it reaches $15 $19.50.

Section II: Implementation

1. This act takes effect immediately.

[Pyro]

Babies Are Back Act

SENATE BILL

to reinstate vital regulations whilst increasing funds for parents of newborn children

Be it enacted,

Section I: Reinstate

1. Title II§5 and III§8 of SB 112-44 Dumb Regulations Repeal Act 21 are hereby repealed.

Section II: Reform

1. SB 113-22 Better Baby Box Act shall be amended as follows:

1. $360 $800 million shall be appropriated to provide baby boxes to eligible parents of newborn children.
...
2. All parents of newborn children born in the Republic of Atlasia shall be eligible for this program. if the family's total disposable income is less than $150,000.

Section III: Implementation

1. This act takes effect immediately.

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Codify This Act

SENATE BILL

to affirm certain inalienable rights and liberties

Be it enacted,

Section I: Rights

1. The Republic of Atlasia affirms the following -

a. Marriage is a basic civil right, and under the Constitution, the freedom to marry or not marry a person of any race, sex, or gender identity resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the state.
i. Marriage between persons of the same sex is a protected right under the Constitution, and the Evergreen-Tmthforu LGBTQ+ Rights Act

b. The state cannot demean individuals’ existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime.

Section II: Protections

1. No region, state, or local government may enact a law or regulation that infringes on the right to marry or not marry a person based on race, sex, or gender identity.

2. No region, state, or local government may enact a law or regulation that infringes on any individual's right to enter upon consensual sexual relationships in the confines of their homes and their own private lives, including relationships between individuals of the same sex.
a. The above shall not apply to any law or regulation prohibiting forced or non-consensual sexual conduct.

2. The Attorney General may commence a civil action on behalf of the Republic of Atlasia against any region, state, or local government that violates, or against any government official that implements or enforces a law or regulation that violates subsections (1) or (2).

Section III: Implementation

1. This act takes effect immediately.

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Save Scenic Programs Act

SENATE BILL

To retain useful federal programs

Be it enacted,

Section I: Reform

1. SB 112-35 Obsolete Programs Sunset Act shall be amended as follows:

1. Authorization for the following programs shall expire on January 1, 2025:

   a. Forestry Service International Programs, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Agriculture.

   b. The Agricultural Mediation Program, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Agriculture.
   i. Contract negotiations for farm workers shall be mediated through the National Labor Relations Board.

   c. All projects carried out by the Agricultural Transportation Services Division, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Agriculture.

   d. The Rails to Trails Abandoned Railway Corridor Program, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Transportation.

   e. The Scenic Turnout and Overlook Program, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Transportation.
   i. Authorization shall not expire for this program if, before December 31st, 2024, the Subdepartment of Transportation submits to the President an approved analysis proving that the benefits of this program are shared among targeted communities regardless of income status or impact by the tourism sector.

   f. The National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Transportation.
   i. Authorization shall not expire for this program if, before December 31st, 2024, the Subdepartment of Transportation submits to the President an approved analysis proving that the benefits of this program are shared among targeted communities regardless of income status or impact by the tourism sector.

   g. National Scenic Byways Program, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Transportation.
   i. Authorization expiration shall not inhibit efforts by program administrators to convert the National Scenic Byways Program into a private, non-profit organization.

   h. The Recreational Trails Program, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Transportation.[/s]
   i. Authorization shall not expire for this program if, before December 31st, 2024, the Subdepartment of Transportation submits to the President an approved analysis proving that the benefits of this program are shared among targeted communities regardless of income status or impact by the tourism sector.

   i. The FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership Program, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Energy.

   j. The Natural Disaster Resilience Competition, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Homeland Security.

   k. The Homeland Security Natural Disaster Resilience Grant Program, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Homeland Security.

   l. The LWCF State Recreational Grant Program, currently administered by the Subdepartment of Interior.

Section II: Implementation

1. This act takes effect immediately.

[Pyro]

Freedom From Conspiracies Act

SENATE BILL

To direct funds for anti-trafficking efforts and retract commendation of conspiratorial media

Be it enacted,

Section I: Reform

1. SB 117-17 Sound of Freedom Act shall be amended as follows:

1. An additional $50 Billion is hereby appropriated over the next five (5) years to fund increased human trafficking investigations, operations, rescues, and prosecutions. Priority shall be given to child trafficking.
a. The above funds shall only be disbursed to federal agencies responsible for investigating human trafficking and supporting victims, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

2. Former federal officer Tim Ballard is hereby awarded the Senate Gold Medal for his efforts in rescuing trafficked children and fighting Satanic evil.

3. The film "The Sound Of Freedom" (2023), distributed by Angel Studios is hereby declared to exhibit artistic excellence, cultural diversity, and original storytelling and is hereby classified as an independent film for purposes of the Fostering Atlasian Cinema Act (SB 116-24). Accordingly, the Independent Film Promotion Office shall coordinate with Angel Studios to assist in promoting The Sound Of Freedom and shall offer grant funding to Angel Studios from the Independent Film Development Fund to assist with future projects.

4. 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

Section II: Implementation

1. This act takes effect immediately.

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AtlasMeals Act

SENATE BILL

to establish a federal free school meals program and eliminate food-related debt for schoolchildren

Be it enacted,

Section I: We Affirm

1. The Republic of Atlasia affirms the following -

a. It is morally reprehensible for any child to be permitted to go hungry, or to be forced into food-related debt.
b. It is the duty of the Republic of Atlasia to seek an end to child hunger and food-related debt.

Section II: AtlasMeals Program

1. It is hereby authorized to be appropriated the funds necessary to enable the Subdepartments of Education and Agriculture to assist the regions and states to initiate and maintain nonprofit breakfast, lunch, and dinner programs in all public schools which apply for assistance and agree to carry out the nonprofit food program to provide free meals to all children enrolled at these schools in accordance with this law.

a. Payments shall be made to each regional educational agency each fiscal year in an amount determined by the Subdepartments of Education and Agriculture, calculated based on the number of meals served and the national average payment for free meals.
i. This amount may be adjusted annually for inflation and per changes in the cost of operating the AtlasMeals Program.

b. Funds apportioned and paid to any region for the purpose of this law shall be disbursed by the regional educational agency to schools selected by the regional educational agency to assist those schools in operating the AtlasMeals Program.

c. Any school that participates in the AtlasMeals Program shall not, as a condition of participation -
i. Collect any debt owed to the school for unpaid meal charges.
ii. Accrue debt for unpaid meal charges.
iii. Physically segregate or otherwise discriminate against any child participating in the AtlasMeals Program.

d. Meals served by schools participating in the AtlasMeals Program shall consist of a combination of foods, including locally sourced farm products, and shall meet the minimum nutritional requirements prescribed by the Subdepartments of Education and Agriculture based on tested nutritional research.

e. The Subdepartments of Education and Agriculture shall be directed to establish a program under which all schools participating in the AtlasMeals Program shall be reimbursed for all delinquent debt.
i. Delinquent debt shall mean debt owed by parent or guardian of a child to a school for meals served.
ii. Reimbursements shall be provided no later than 180 days after this law takes effect.

Section III: Implementation

1. This act shall take effect on June 1st, 2024.

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SNAP To The Future Act

SENATE BILL

To increase SNAP eligibility and benefits whilst retaining vital federal agencies

Be it enacted,

Section I: Repeal

1. SB 112-45: Commonsense Program Reform Act is hereby repealed.
a. Public officials, including Administrative Law Judges, hired as a result of SB 112-45 shall remain employed.
b. Positions decommissioned or eliminated as a result of agency consolidation as described in SB 112-45 shall be re-established with hiring preferences given to public officials previously employed by their respective agencies.

Section II: SNAP Benefits

1. Eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shall be expanded -
a. To include persons employed or self-employed earning up to 200% of the federal poverty level.
b. To include persons with at least one dependent child in their household earning up to 220% of the federal poverty level.
c. To include persons aged 60 or older, or with a disability, earning up to 250% of the federal poverty level.

2. Eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shall no longer factor the following:
a. Asset or resource tests, including funds in bank accounts.
b. Past criminal activity or felony convictions.

3. Eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shall be modified as follows:
a. Income deductions for child support payments, out of pocket medical expenses, medical supply costs, dependent care costs, shelter costs, and utility bills must be considered when determining SNAP eligibility.
b. Three-month time limits on SNAP eligibility for working-age adults who cannot document sufficient hours of work shall be eliminated.
c. Part-time or full-time attendance at an institution of higher education shall be considered as a form of qualification the same as work.

4. Benefits provided by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) shall be expanded as follows:
a. Maximum benefit amounts shall  -
i. Be primarily based on household income with a minimum benefit of $275 per month for an eligible 1-person household.
ii. Increase on a progressive sliding scale based on the number of individuals in an eligible household.
iii. Be adjusted in 2025 and all subsequent fiscal years to account for cost-of-living increases.
iv. Not decrease unless the applicant is no longer eligible for benefits, or has reported a change of income.
b. Prepared hot foods or hot food products ready for immediate consumption shall be eligible for SNAP benefits.

Section III: Implementation

1. This act shall take effect on March 1st, 2024.

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Senate Resolution

To amend the Constitution to permit the practice of dueling and subsequent effects between mutually consenting Atlasians.

Be It Resolved in the Atlasian Senate Assembled, that upon ratification by 2/3rds of the Regions, the Constitution shall be amended as follows:

Let There Be Duels Amendment

The following Section is to be incorporated under Article VI of the Fifth Constitution:

Section 2. Dueling

1. Should there be a mutual agreement, any two Atlasians may engage in a duel.

2. Duels shall take place in a single match of any online game agreed upon by the participants, so long as the game can be fully recorded for independent verification.

3. A replay of the game must be saved and shared with others to confirm the duel happened and who won and who lost.

4. Whoever loses the duel shall be removed as a registered voter and prohibited from re-registering for a period of one week to two months, whichever the duelers mutually decide. Duelists may also agree to different terms provided that the agreement is made in public before the time of the duel. No citizen may be prohibited from re-registering for a period of longer than two months as the result of a duel.

This Constitutional Amendment enshrines the right for two Atlasians to mutually agree to a duel between each other. Such duels are to take place under a single match, of which the result shall be independently verified. The losing participant in a duel shall automatically be deregistered for a mutually agreed period of at least one week but no more than two months. Upon the conclusion of said period, the losing duelist may re-register at personal whim.

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Freedom of Expression Act

SENATE BILL

to penalize private companies that engage in discrimination

Be it enacted,

Section I: Definitions

1. Adverse action means any action taken by a private company, corporation, or LLC to -
a. Withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any grant, contract, subcontract, cooperative agreement, loan, scholarship, license, registration, accreditation, employment, or other similar status from or to a person; withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny any benefit from or to a person; deny admission to, equal treatment in, or eligibility for a degree from an educational program or institution to a person; or withhold, reduce, exclude, terminate, or otherwise deny access to a property, educational institution, speech forum, or charitable fund-raising campaign from or to a person.            

Section II: Actions

1. A private company, corporation, or LLC may not take any adverse action against any person based wholly or partly on a person's gender identity or sexual orientation. The federal government shall maintain the right to take adverse action against any private company, corporation, or LLC that is in violation of Section 1 of this law.

2. A person may assert an actual or threatened violation of this act as a claim or defense in a judicial or administrative proceeding and obtain: compensatory damages; injunctive relief; declaratory relief; and any other appropriate relief, including reasonable attorney's fees.

3. Notwithstanding any other law, a person may commence an action under this section and relief may be granted regardless of whether the person has sought or exhausted available administrative proceeding and obtain: compensatory damages; injunctive relief; declaratory relief; and any other appropriate relief, including reasonable attorney's fees.  

4. All affected statute shall be amended accordingly.

Section III: Implementation

1. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Banning Books Bad Act

SENATE BILL

to end the practice of banning access to reading materials due to partisan disapproval

Be it enacted,

Section I: Book Ban Penalties

1. No federal funds shall be awarded to any municipal, county, state, or regional library if such library bans or restricts access to a book or other resource within the library's collection because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

2. No federal funds shall be awarded to any municipal, county, state, or regional library if such library fails to adopt a policy that prohibits the practice of banning or restricting access to a specific book or resource because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

3. Notwithstanding any regional or federal law to the contrary, a board of education of a school district shall not ban or restrict access to a book or other resource within a school library's collection because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
a. The SubDepartment of Education is hereby authorized to withhold all of part of any federal aid paid to any school district for a board of education's failure to comply with the provisions of this law.

Section II: Implementation

1. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.

[Pyro]

Raise the Wage Act

SENATE BILL

To gradually increase the federal minimum wage

Be it enacted,

Section I: The Minimum Wage

1. 29 U.S.C shall be amended as follows:

(1) except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than $15.00 $19.50 an hour;

2. F.L. 29-18 Rewarding Hard Work Act shall be amended as follows:

a) Starting from January 1, 2022 2024, the federal minimum wage shall increase by $2 $1.50 at the start of each year until it reaches $15 $19.50.

Section II: Implementation

1. This act takes effect immediately.

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Commonsense Reproductive Protections Act

SENATE BILL

to institute commonsense reproductive health measures

Be it enacted,

Section I: Reinstate

1. SB 115-11 Right to Choose Act is hereby reinstated.

Section II: Repeal

1. SB 118-40 Literally Infanticide Act is hereby repealed.
2. SB 118-61 Hate Has No Home Here Act is hereby repealed.

Section III: Reform

1. SB 117-40: Preservation of the Most Vulnerable Act is hereby modified as follows:

(...)
Section B. Definitions:
Fetal disability: Any disability, syndrome, or disease that is identified in the womb.
Lethal: Defined as having a 75% or higher chance of resulting in fetal death before birth or within 168 hours thereafter, or reducing life expectancy by more than 60%, as certified by a licensed physician.
Section C. Abortions performed because of a fetal disability will be banned unless the fetal disability is lethal as defined above, such disability is a heart defect, or if it can be demonstrated that a) the abortion is otherwise legal, and b) the abortion would have been sought even if the fetal disability did not exist.

(...)

Section IV: Implementation

1. This act takes effect immediately.

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Amendment to Stopping Sexual Violence Act

SENATE BILL

to modify recent legislation regarding criminal activity

Be it enacted,

Section I: Reform

1. SB 119-26 Stopping Sexual Violence Act is hereby modified as follows:

Stopping Sexual Violence Act

1. No defendant in any federal criminal trial concerning a violent crime shall be permitted to raise or offer as a defense that such defendant lacked culpability or mens rea as a result of voluntarily participating in sadomadochistic, dominance and submission, roleplay, or other sexually fetishistic conduct.

2. For purposes of federal criminal sentencing, if any person is convicted of rape, sexual assault, or any attempt or conspiracy to commit rape or sexual assault, and such person uses a bestality device during the commission of such crime, then such person, in addition to any mandatory minimum sentence imposed for rape or sexual assault, shall also be subject to a non-concurrent mandatory minimum sentence equivalent to that imposed for bestiality.

3. For purposes of federal criminal sentencing, if any person is convicted of a crime requiring registration as a sex offender, such person shall be prohibited from owning or possessing any bestiality device. Any such bestiality device discovered in the ownership or possession of a registered sex offender shall be subject to immediate seizure and forfeiture.

4. As used in this Act, bestiality device means any sexually explicit sculpture, toy, or other object that is designed or sculpted to appear as the genitalia or sex organs of a non-human animal, including but not limited to a fictitious, mythical, or anthropomorphized animal. This shall not include any equipment utilized in veterinary science or animal husbandry or breeding.

2 5. This act shall take effect immediately.

Section II: Implementation

1. This act takes effect immediately.