G2

Presidents are generally thought to have advantages over Congress in conducting foreign policy because of the formal and informal powers of the presidency.

(a) As Commander-in-chief, the President has the formal constitutional power to deploy and bring back troops. The President also has the power to appoint Ambassadors and other foreign policy officials who negotiate foreign policy.

(b) Congress has the power to declare war on other nations, and the power to confirm the ambassador appointments set by the President.

(c) The President has the informal power to meet with leaders from around the world, and the informal power to establish the political agenda to reflect issues on foreign policy.

(d) With the informal power to meet with world leaders, the President can avoid the formal process of discussing foreign policy, and can have the support of certain other nations that will help in negotiating with Congress. With the power to establish the political agenda, the President is able to persuade the public to pay attention to certain aspects of foreign policy. This attention from the public puts pressure on Congress to then discuss such issues of foreign policy.

F6

I. I want to work to solve the issue of gun control in our country by outlawing automatic and semi-automatic weapons, and making the process by which gun licenses are obtained mandated by federal law. Whether cultural, religious, political, or personal debates are occurring, people end up hurting one another. The saying 'guns don't kill people, people do,' is entirely misleading - guns allow people to kill people. On July 27th, 2008, a man walked into a Unitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, Tennessee and fired a shotgun, killing two people and wounding seven others. Although these numbers seem low compared to the other mass shootings that have occurred in the past few years, this particular story hits home for me. Everyone deserves to feel safe while practicing his/her faith, no matter what it is. Jim Adkisson, the shooter, walked into the church and shoved fear into the hearts of all of the young children there, and the rest of the congregation. A more recent example of gun violence is the shooting in Connecticut. Once again, someone walked into a school and opened fire. If the man did not have such easy access to a gun, this would not have happened, and all of those children would still be alive.

II. The Luatenberg Amendment, also known as the Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban, addresses gun control related to incidents of domestic violence. This act bans transport, shipment, ownership, and usage of guns/ammunition by individuals who have been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, or who are under a restraining order for domestic violence in the United States.The act also allows for people living with or associated with such individuals come under great scrutiny if attempting to obtain and own a gun. The provisions of this act are similar to the provisions I hope to make in my bill. I believe that persons who have been convicted of misdemeanors and felonies should not be granted access to any sort of weapon, let alone a gun. Therefore, my bill will also adopt similar provisions for individuals who are associated with individuals who have been convicted of any misdemeanors and/or felonies. The restrictions will be higher on such persons, and the background checks/process for obtaining a gun will be more intricate.

III. The bill will give the federal government the power to issue gun licenses. Therefore, the power will be taken away from the states governments, and the law will be more universal across the country. A commission will make sure that the state governments are properly executing the federal law, and that no loopholes are created and allowed by the state and local governments. This commission will also create the guidelines, regulations, and requirements by which a citizen may obtain a gun license. Because no person can obtain a gun without a license, the guidelines will be reviewed and reissued annually. The commission will look to the measures for acquiring a federal firearms license previously imposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives for guidance on approving or disapproving of applications for gun licenses. The commission will also be comprised of a balanced ideological group, so that all opinions are considered. There will be restrictions on who can obtain a gun, and requirements for those who do gain access to a gun. Only legal citizens of the United States may have a gun, no citizen convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony may have a gun, and all applicants for a gun license must undergo an extensive background check (mandated by the commission). There will be a strict process by which someone may obtain a gun, and this process will be run by a federal commission. Automatic and semi-automatic weapons will also be banned in all 50 states. The commission will make sure that state and local governments are properly executing this provision of the bill, and such states that do not abide will have access to new roads and public services cut off from the federal government.

IV. My law should be introduced into the House Judiciary Committee.

V. http://www.knoxnews.com/news/news/local/knoxville-unitarian-church-shooting/ http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/14/nation/la-na-nn-connecticut-school-shooting-20121214
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knoxville_Unitarian_Universalist_church_shooting

F8

• Rep. Thomson's Bill:
• Question: In Section 2(a), you mentioned giving immigrant minors "all the opportunities that America is based upon." What exactly are these opportunities?
• Rep. Potter's Bill:
• Amendment: In Section 2(b) add "predicament to the end of: "Increase medical infrastructure in areas afflicted with this"
• Question: In Section 5 (1), you mentioned that "All persons who have been diagnosed with Black Lung, Brown Lung, or Green Tobacco Sickness shall have all medical expenses paid for by the Federal Government for the entirety of their lives." What about those who have not been diagnosed with these specific diseases, but still suffer from health conditions due to their work? Will they be denied health care benefits?
• Rep. Hibbard's Bill:
• Amendment: Replace the term ‘all men created equal’ with "all persons created equal." With this change, all genders will be included in the bill.
• Question: For “The Gay Marriage Act will protect same sex couples from any discrimination within public institutions refusing to participate in the union of the couple,” how will the national government ensure that the state governments are adhering to this act, and that those who don’t follow the regulations are penalized?
• Rep. Wilhelm's Bill:
• Amendment: To increase the professional aspect of your bill change the wording in Section 2(a): change “go about everyday procedures” to "approach everyday procedures."
• Question: Section 2(b) reads that “Basic handguns will not be banned because they can be considered protective weapons.” What qualifies basic handguns as protective weapons? Specifically in what scenarios are they considered protective, and how will the national government/the courts determine if the handguns were in fact used for protection?
• Rep. Brown's and Rep. Schodowski's Bill:
• Amendment: In Section 2 (a-1) replace “the current law” with "the No Child Left Behind law."
• Question: How will the natural rainwater collection systems be paid for? Will they all be covered by the national government, or will it be up to the states or local governments to fund?
• Rep. Wetherall:
• Amendment: In Section 5, “If a court decides to dismiss and disobey this law they will be able to be put up for an impeachment trial,” replace “they will be able to be put up for” with “they will be subject to.”
• Rep. Lawson and Warren:
• Question: Why are these provisions only targeted toward young women, and not men?
• Rep. Srivatsa:
• Amendment: Replace “upper” in “Upper Education” with “higher" to make "Higher Education," for this is the correct term that we use.
• Rep. Grigera-Monteagudo
• Amendment: In this day and age, it is important to not have terms that refer to one gender, that gender being males. Therefore, in Section 7, number 3, letter c, replace “chairman” with “chairperson.”
  Question: How long is the term of the chairperson of the FWA?