SB 30-23: KANYE Act (Awaiting Sponsor)

[Left Wing]

AN ACT
to protect our unborn and newly born

Section 1 (Title)
i. The title of this Act shall be the "Keeping Atlasian Newborns Yearning and Enthusiastic Act", or simply as the "KANYE Act."

Section 2
a. The parents of every child born and adopted in Atlasia[/b] shall receive a sum no less than and not exceeding $2,500, cash, once the baby is born or adopted.

Passed 4-3-1-0 in the Atlasian House assembled

Sponsor: None
Status: Awaiting Sponsor

[Blair]

I’d want to see costings on this and think this could be another issue we leave for the next administration and budget.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

This needs a sponsor.

[Dr. MB]

I’d like to sponsor!

[KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸]

I’d want to see costings on this and think this could be another issue we leave for the next administration and budget.

According to the CDC, about 3.7 million babies were born in the United States in the year 2019. Assuming about 4 million babies are born in Atlasia every year, and using the proposed figure of $2,500 cash, we have an annual cost of $10 billion (short scale) a year, only factoring in the money given to the parents of these children.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Members have 24 hours to object to the sponsorship of Senator MB.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

The wording in section 2 needs to be cleared up. Do both biological parents and adoptive parents of a child get $2500? And how does this work when one of the parents isn’t known or if they aren’t legally married (is it split equally between both)? I’d also think it’s a good idea to include a section about the $2500 having to be paid back if custody is lost due to conviction of abuse or neglect. Also I find the part about it being paid in cash unnecessary.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

It'd also be a good idea to make it clear this payment is tax-exempt since that seems to be the intention.

[Joseph Cao]

2(a) seems as if it basically guarantees some level of monetary child support aside from the obvious incentive of $$. Don't we have plenty of legislation on the books that covers that already?

[Pericles]

We have already expanded the Child Tax Credit, so I want to see how this links into that and I'm sceptical of this bill right now.

[Dr. MB]

The difference between this bill and a child tax credit is that it guarantees a direct payment to new parents. The old bill still stands.

The wording in section 2 needs to be cleared up. Do both biological parents and adoptive parents of a child get $2500? And how does this work when one of the parents isn’t known or if they aren’t legally married (is it split equally between both)? I’d also think it’s a good idea to include a section about the $2500 having to be paid back if custody is lost due to conviction of abuse or neglect. Also I find the part about it being paid in cash unnecessary.

Good points. I'm introducing an amendment:

AN ACT
to protect our unborn and newly born

Section 1 (Title)
a. The title of this Act shall be the "Keeping Atlasian Newborns Yearning and Enthusiastic Act", or simply as the "KANYE Act."

Section 2
The parents of every child born and adopted in Atlasia[/b] shall receive a sum no less than and not exceeding $2,500, cash, once the baby is born or adopted.
a. The married parents of every child born in Atlasia shall receive a sum no less than and not exceeding $2,500, cash, once the baby is born.
     i. Should the parents not be legally married at the time of birth, the payment is to be divided and each parent given $1,250.
    ii. Should the identity of the father not be known, the mother will receive $1,250 at the time of birth. If the father is not identified within six months of the child's birth, the mother is to receive the remaining $1,250; if he is identified within that time period he shall receive that $1,250.
     iii. Should either parent be deceased, the surviving party shall receive the full $2,500.
b. All new adoptive parents in Atlasia shall receive a similar payment of $1,250 each, cash, once the adoption is finalized, or $2,500 for a sole adopter.
     i. This payment may only apply to adoption of children under the age of 18.

Section 3
a. Should it be proven the child was a result of rape, the rapist shall forfeit their payment and the sum awarded to the other party.
b. Should either parent lose custody of their child due to abuse or neglect, they must return the $1,250 either to the Government of Atlasia or to the other parent, provided the other parent has not been charged with or is facing charges of abuse or neglect of their child.
     i. This clause is only to apply in cases where the child in question was born or adopted following passage of this bill.

Passed 4-3-1-0 in the Atlasian House assembled

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Senators have 24 hours to object.

[Joseph Cao]

Good amendment, but what if both parents are facing charges? That might need to be spelled out given the current language seems to imply that they get to keep the full $2,500 in that situation.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Good amendment, but what if both parents are facing charges? That might need to be spelled out given the current language seems to imply that they get to keep the full $2,500 in that situation.

I was about to say the same thing

[Dr. MB]

Good amendment, but what if both parents are facing charges? That might need to be spelled out given the current language seems to imply that they get to keep the full $2,500 in that situation.

Should either parent lose custody of their child due to abuse or neglect, they must return the $1,250 either to the Government of Atlasia or to the other parent, provided the other parent has not been charged with or is facing charges of abuse or neglect of their child.

Then the payment goes back to the government.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

Good amendment, but what if both parents are facing charges? That might need to be spelled out given the current language seems to imply that they get to keep the full $2,500 in that situation.

Should either parent lose custody of their child due to abuse or neglect, they must return the $1,250 either to the Government of Atlasia or to the other parent, provided the other parent has not been charged with or is facing charges of abuse or neglect of their child.

Then the payment goes back to the government.

I don't read it that way. Probably best to specifically state it. Since the amendment from before is presumably adopted since there was no objection, here's my own to make sure there's no ambiguity.

AN ACT
to protect our unborn and newly born

Section 1 (Title)
a. The title of this Act shall be the "Keeping Atlasian Newborns Yearning and Enthusiastic Act", or simply as the "KANYE Act."

Section 2
a. The married parents of every child born in Atlasia shall receive a sum no less than and not exceeding $2,500, cash, once the baby is born.
     i. Should the parents not be legally married at the time of birth, the payment is to be divided and each parent given $1,250.
    ii. Should the identity of the father not be known, the mother will receive $1,250 at the time of birth. If the father is not identified within six months of the child's birth, the mother is to receive the remaining $1,250; if he is identified within that time period he shall receive that $1,250.
     iii. Should either parent be deceased, the surviving party shall receive the full $2,500.
b. All new adoptive parents in Atlasia shall receive a similar payment of $1,250 each, cash, once the adoption is finalized, or $2,500 for a sole adopter.
     i. This payment may only apply to adoption of children under the age of 18.

Section 3
a. Should it be proven the child was a result of rape, the rapist shall forfeit their payment and the sum awarded to the other party.
b. Should either parent lose custody of their child due to abuse or neglect, they must return the $1,250 either to the Government of Atlasia or to the other parent, provided the other parent has not been charged with or is facing charges of abuse or neglect of their child. Should both parents be charged with, or are facing charges of abuse or neglect of their child, both must return the $1,250 to the Government of Atlasia.
     i. This clause is only to apply in cases where the child in question was born or adopted following passage of this bill.

[Dr. MB]

No objection to that amendment

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Senators have 24 hours to object.

[KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸]

Is this money subject to income tax?

[Dr. MB]

Is this money subject to income tax?

It's money paid directly from the government funded by income taxes. No, it isn't subject to income tax.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Why was Harvey so militantly against this bill?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Hearing no objection, the amendment is adopted.

[Pericles]

A one-time payment seems ok, but some costings for this bill would be useful to reassure us.

[Dr. MB]

A one-time payment seems ok, but some costings for this bill would be useful to reassure us.

See what Koopa posted earlier on.

I’d want to see costings on this and think this could be another issue we leave for the next administration and budget.

According to the CDC, about 3.7 million babies were born in the United States in the year 2019. Assuming about 4 million babies are born in Atlasia every year, and using the proposed figure of $2,500 cash, we have an annual cost of $10 billion (short scale) a year, only factoring in the money given to the parents of these children.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

It recently occurred to me that I wrote legislation very similar to this. Only there would be a $1,000 monthly payment for middle and lower-class parents with children under the age of 18. I think we should seriously consider expanding the UBI program we had for COVID, which was by most accounts successful (as we kept extending it). I know that even Labor is divided on UBI. But I think that a slow transition will keep our economy sustainable.

At the very least, I would like to see a GM report on how effective the pilot UBI program was during the pandemic. If it did what it was intended to do, in keeping our people housed, fed, and secure at the height of COVID, I think that segueing to a permanent program is absolutely worth considering.