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What is a Youth in Government bill?
A bill is an idea for a new law, or to amend an existing law. MYIG students (delegates) write bills. Your bills will be printed in a bill book. Every delegate will receive a bill book. Bills will be discussed in committees formed of delegates at the Lansing conference. If the committee thinks that the bill would make a good law, they will send it to the legislature where it could become a law. All bills must be state issues only.
Ideas for state laws come from citizens who have ideas on how to improve their lives. There are many laws already in existence in Michigan, but these laws can be amended for further improvement. Your idea for a bill must be for either a law that does not yet exist, or will be an amendment to an existing law. This means that you will need to do some RESEARCH. In the box below, write down your ideas for a law, which would improve the lives of the citizens of Michigan. Some topics for ideas are:
1. Education
2. Housing
3. Public Health and Safety
4. Crime
5. Pollution
6. Racial Problems
7. Technology
8. Civil Rights
9. Michigan Great Lakes
10. Unemployment
Still having trouble coming up with an idea? Ask yourself these questions:
1. What conditions exist in your school that make it difficult for you to get the best education?
2. What conditions exist in your city that makes it difficult for you to feel safe?
3. Are there enough employment opportunities for your family?
4. Does your family have sufficient health care?
5. Do you agree with the current laws that affect your daily life?
6. Does your city have enough opportunities for recreation?
Write your idea for a bill : ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
research – A law may already exist for your idea, but it could be improved. How can you find out?
1. Go to Legislature. and type in a keyword. The site will do a search for you.
2. Talk with your advisor and principal.
3. Talk to your city council representative
4. Call your senator or representative’s office.
Writing Your Bill
Bills are to be written by students only, and with a partner. You and your partner should work as team, so that each of you contributes about the same amount of work. Listen to each other’s ideas and cooperate in the writing process. Your advisor, teachers, principal, parents, and elected officials can offer helpful suggestions that will help you prepare your bill. Remember, your bill must be a Michigan state issue. Bills must be researched, and no longer than one typewritten page.
The bill must include:
1. Title
2. Enacting Clause
3. Body of the Bill (Sections that include a penalty, and an effective date)
Title: The first part of the bill is the title. The Michigan Constitution provides that “No bill shall embrace more than one subject, which shall be expressed in its title.” Write the title below. The title does not need to be detailed, but it needs to clearly present the idea. Begin with, “A bill to…”
A bill to …_____________________________________________________________________________
Enacting Clause: Under our constitution the body of a bill begins, “The People of the State of Michigan Enact”. Nothing else is needed here.
Body of the Bill: The body of the bill specifies how the bill will fulfill the requirements you wrote in your title. These specifications are separated into sections. A good bill should have enough information to need at least 5 sections. Each section is a sentence or short paragraph with complete thoughts. Say what you want to say in as few words as possible. See the sample bill attached for an example of how to write your sections.
Your sections need to include:
• How the bill will be funded
• Who will enforce the bill
• A penalty for not obeying the bill once it is signed into law
• An effective date
Penalty: A bill must specify a penalty for non-compliance. The penalty could be a fine, loss of a privilege, mandatory community service, jail time, etc. The penalty should match the severity of the crime.
Effective Date: A bill must specify a time when the bill will be come effective. Consider how long it will realistically take to follow all the specifications you have outlined.
Bill Brief:
• Restate the title
• Who is introducing the bill
• Background/Problem
• Benefits/Advantages/Expected Outcome
• Drawbacks/Disadvantages
You are ready to draft your bill. Below is a bill template. Write your draft in the spaces provided. Use only the number of sections you need. Additional sections can be added if necessary. The maximum number of authors is two. The bill submission site will not allow more than two names.
School:
Authors’ Names (Introduced by):
A bill to:
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
SECTION 1.
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Section 2.
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Section 3.
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Section 4.
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Section 5.
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Congratulations! You’ve completed the first draft of your bill! The first draft is the hardest part.
Now you are ready to draft your bill on the computer. Before you type your final copy you must check the following:
1. Spelling – Proofread for spelling mistakes. Ask another delegate and/or your advisor to proofread as well.
2. Grammar – Proofread for grammar mistakes. Write in complete sentences. Use capital setters for proper nouns. Use the correct punctuation. A sloppy bill will reflect poorly on the authors.
3. Bill requirements – Have you included the title, how the bill will be funded, who will enforce the bill, the penalty, and the effective date?
1. Type your bill as a document with sections. Do not skip spaces.
2. Save your document.
3. Go online to The bill submission link is under the High School tab, and is part of your registration. Once you have registered you will be allowed to draft your bill.
4. Follow the directions on the website to submit your bill.
5. When you have successfully submitted your bill, print and save the page with your login number.
Your work as an author is done but your work as a delegate is just beginning. We’ll see you at the Lansing Conference where your bill will first be read aloud by you, discussed in committee, discussed in the Legislature, and perhaps even passed.
Revised 1.15
Michigan Youth in Government
2014-2015 Top Legislative Issues
1. Transportation Funding- Michigan's roads are in terrible condition, and lack funding for improvements. The House passed a package of bills that started to increase road funding by about 400 million; this was the issue that was highly debated amongst the Senate before it adjourned for summer recess. Republicans don’t want to raise taxes, but their constituents want their roads fixed.
2. Term Limits – In 1992 Michigan citizens voted to enact term limits in the Michigan legislature and other elected officials. Lately, there’s a movement within the state legislature to repeal term limits. Read more in the Detroit Free Press, .
3. Expansion of the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act – State level discrimination laws regarding sexual orientation, see for more information.
4. Indirect Aid to Non-public Schools - The Michigan Constitution prohibits public monies to aid non-public schools, but other states, such as Ohio and Indiana, allow for tax credits or vouchers to allow parents to choose the best educational setting for their children
5. Main Street Fairness Act – The MI Legislature is considering this act, which would require online-only retailers to collect the Michigan sale’s tax. See for information.
6. Energy Reform – Law written to include in Michigan’s Constitution regarding the 2015 deadline for 10% renewable energy usage.
7. No Fault Insurance – In 2013 the Michigan Supreme Court ruling said insurance companies are no longer required to fund the full cost of a vehicle for accident victims, and Michigan legislators are considering further restrictions on no-fault auto coverage. Read more at .
8. Electronic Cigarette Sales – Legislation regarding the restriction of sales to minors, regulations and taxation of the cigarettes.
9. Teacher Evaluations - New legislation is being presented that links the success/failure of teacher evaluations to the success/failures of their student’s testing scores. See for more information.
10. Preserving Michigan’s Drinking Water – Following the 2014 toxic algae bloom in Lake Erie near Toledo the International Joint Commission, a board that advises the U.S. and Canadian governments on boundary waters issues, released a study of the phosphorus problem. Environmentalists have been lobbying for years for agricultural phosphorus reductions.
Bill No. H0080
A bill to make it mandatory that people have to pass drug tests before getting Bridge Cards and continuation of benefits on a monthly basis.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Section 1: This bill shall be partly funded by the individual people getting a Bridge Card by paying ten dollars for the drug test. The State of Michigan’s taxes shall pay for the rest of each person’s drug test.
Section 2: Every test shall be performed by a Michigan Health Department approved doctor or nurse.
Section 3: Failure to obtain the drug test will result in a fine of forty-five dollars for the individual.
Section 4: The second offence, at the end of sixty days, if the individual does not take the test, will be fined the amount of money they would have received in Bridge Card benefits.
Section 5: If the Individual does not pay the fines within two years, he/she will be permanently suspended from Bridge Card benefits, and will be imprisoned for one to three months. Bail will be the amount of money that was not paid for in the fines.
Section 6: The Family Independence Agency shall enforce compliance with this law.
Section 7: This bill will go into effect January 3rd, 2016.
H0080 BILL BRIEF
Title: A bill to make it mandatory that people have to take drug tests before getting Bridge Cards and continuation of benefits on a monthly basis.
Background/Problem
There are too many people on Bridge Cards. Also, many people on Bridge Cards use their extra money on drugs.
Benefits/Advantages/Expected Outcomes
An expected outcome is that people will stop using drugs, and that taxes will not have to pay for the food of those who use drugs.
Drawbacks /Disadvantages
A disadvantage is that those who use drugs may need the Bridge Card to pay for their family’s food.
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Michigan Youth in Government
How to Write a Bill – Step 1
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Step 1- Develop an Idea for a Bill
With your partner, brainstorm some additional topics that are important to you:
1.
2.
3.
Michigan Youth in Government
How to Write a Bill – Step 2
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Step 2 – Draft the Bill
Michigan Youth in Government
How to Write a Bill – Step 3
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Step 3 – Submit your bill online
Bills that will be discarded from the final Bill Book:
• Bills not in correct form
• Bills not of state issues
• Bills not submitted by the deadline
• Bills that denigrate any part of the population
Sample Bill
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