Students Pass More than 100 Bills
More than 3,000 JSA members honed their skills in bill writing and legislative debate at JSA's winter conventions held in February. The two and three-day weekend conventions placed students in a mock Congress where they presented and debated bills written by their peers. And just like Congress had a chance to serve as senators and representatives for their respective parties. However, unlike the political gridlock that has gripped the current Congress, JSA's Winter Congresses passed more than 100 bills addressing a number of issues - from decriminalization of marijuana to school safety, drug prescription pricing, to ridesharing regulation, nonpartisan redistricting, and the opioid crisis.
Check out the complete list of passed bills.
Mid-Atlantic/Texas Passed Bills
| TITLE OF BILL | SCHOOL |
|---|---|
| A Bill to Ban Separation of Immigrant Families | Villa Victoria High School |
| A Bill To Legalize The Medical And Recreational Usage Of Marijuana Nationwide | Spring Ford High School |
| A Bill To Continue The Government Shutdown Until Only The Constitutional Powers Of The Government Remain | Communications High School |
| A Bill To Reform The Education System | Old Bridge High School |
| A Bill To Impose Price Controls On The Pharmaceutical Industry | St. Mary's Hall |
| A Bill To Join The International Criminal Court | Watchung Hills Regional High School |
| A Bill To Lower The Cost Of Naturalization In The United States Of America | Marlboro High School |
| A Bill to Create a National Gun Registry | Secaucus High School |
| A Bill to Make Birth Control Available Over the Counter | Seagoville High School |
| A Bill to Increase Infrastructure Spending Within the United States | Bellaire High School |
| A Bill to Standardize Sexual Education | North Warren High School |
| A Bill To Decriminalize All Drug Use & Posession | St. John Vianney High School |
| A Bill To Decrease Penny Production | Villa Victoria |
| A Bill To Enact Swift Justice Via The Legalization Of Consensual Duels | Marlboro High School |
| A Bill to Reduce the Age of a U.S. Citizen that can Petition for Parents' Residency | Sunset High School |
| A Bill To Introduce A Second Chance Mandate | Old Mill High School |
| A Bill To Make Election Day A Federal Holiday | St. Mary's Hall High School |
| A Bill to Impose the Drug Competition Action Plan | Howell High School |
| A Bill To Install Metal Detectors In School | West Windsor-Plainsboro H.S. South |
| A Bill To Reaffirm The Rights Of Private And Public Businesses To Hire Employees Of Their Choice, Subject To Existing Laws | Colts Neck High School |
| A Bill to Provide Compensation to Federal Workers During Government Shutdowns | Secaucus High School |
| A Bill To Establish A National Day Where All Crime Is Legal And Anything Goes. It's An Absolute Madhouse, Brother Against Brother. Lock Your Doors, Protect Your Kids. (ndwacilaagiaambablydpyk) As A National Holiday | Biotechnology High School |
| A Bill To Create A Commission To Study And Develop Reparations Proposals For African-Americans | West Orange High School |
| A Bill To Repeal The War Powers Resolution | Manalapan High School |
| A Bill To Enact Automatic Voter Registration | Colts Neck H.S. |
| A Bill To Reschedule Marijuana From A Schedule I Drug | West Windsor-Plainsboro H.S. South |
| A Bill To Improve The State Of Air Travel For American Consumers | Bergen County Academies |
| A Bill To Ban Confederate Symbols On Public Property | Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School |
| A Bill To Reform Military Recruitment Techniques | Communications High School |
| A Bill to Ban the Use of Comic Sans | Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School |
| A Bill To Tax All Establishments That Do Not Use Biodegradable Plastics | Kent Place School |
| A Bill To Require All U.S. Public High Schools To Offer Dual Enrollment Programs | Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advanced Studies |
| A Bill To Reclassify Marijuana/cannabis Drug Scheduling | Freehold High School |
| A Bill to Ban Child Marriages | Morris Hills High School |
| A Bill to Offer Military Service as an Alternative to Conventional Prison Sentencing | Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advanced Studies |
| A Bill To Relocate Anyone Who Is Not Vaccinated To Isolate Them From Society | Biotechnology High School |
| A Bill To Require A Life Skills Course For High School Students At Government-funded Schools | Spring Ford High School |
| A Bill to Allow United States Territories to Vote in Presidential Elections | St. John's High School |
| A Bill To Minimize Invasive Species Impact | Manalapan High School |
| A Bill To Ensure Annual Mental Health Tests For Firearm Owners | Biotechnology High School |
Northern California Passed Bills
| TITLE OF BILL |
|---|
| A Bill to Ban the Use of Styrofoam in the United States |
| A Resolution to Promote the Phase Out of Single Use Straws |
| A Bill to Ensure Fair Pay and Conditions to Incarcerated Workers |
| A Bill to Expand the Requirements for Asylum Seekers |
| A Resolution to Support Net Neutrality |
| A Bill to Mandate Level Two Background Checks on Rideshare Company Drivers |
| A Bill to Abolish FOSTA and SESTA and Enact Better Initiatives to Stop Sex Trafficking |
| A Bill to Abolish the 21-year-old Drinking Age |
| A Bill to Increase Spending on Forest Management |
Pacific Northwest
| PASSED BILLS |
|---|
| Decriminalize Sex Workers |
| Prevent Student Bathroom Restrictions |
| Working Patriots Act |
| Sustainable Foodware Usage |
| Mandatory Consent Education |
| Create Nonpartisain Redistricting Committees |
| Reform Nutrition Labeling |
| Reduce Drug Crime Sentencing |
| Election Finance Reform |
| Digital Forgetting Rights |
| Reform Agricultural Subsidies |
| Establish ICE Oversight |
| Create Universal Healthcare |
| Yemeni Aid Resolution |
| Decriminalize All Elicit Substances |
| Ban Animal-Testing Cosmetics |
| Sibling Visitation Rights |
| Ban Conversion Therapy on Minors |
Northeast/Southeast Passed Bills
| PASSED BILLS | JSA STATE |
|---|---|
| To regulate opioid prescriptions | Northeast/Southeast |
| To grant longer paternity leave for new fathers | Northeast/Southeast |
| To increase the punishment for rape including forcible sodomy and increase the statute of limitations to bring charges for the crime | Northeast/Southeast |
| To grant Puerto Rico independence from the United States | Northeast/Southeast |
| To mandate the inclusion of hemp pulp in virgin paper | Northeast/Southeast |
| To abolish the phrase 'Under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance | Northeast/Southeast |
| To include proper medical attention to children in detention centers at the U.S. border | Northeast/Southeast |
| To mandate a minimum salary of teacher compensation | Northeast/Southeast |
Midwest/Ohio River Valley
| PASSED BILL |
|---|
| A Bill establishing reasonable term limits on Members of Congress |
| A bill to abolish abstinence-based sexual education in schools |
| A bill to allow convicted felons to retain their voting rights |
| A bill to tax non-biodegradable plastic bags in grocery stores |
| A bill to prohibit those suspected of committing violence from having a gun or ammunition |
| An amendment to modify the requirements for presidential eligibility |
| A bill to end deforestation |
| A bill to legalize recreational marijuana |
| A bill to station officers to protect our schools |
| A bill to federally mandate all businesses serving food or drink to the public has a comprehensive ingredient list of all menu items |
| A bill to draft women into the Armed Forces |
| A bill to encourage induced pluripotent stem cell research |
| A bill to prohibit the purchase of high-capacity magazines for firearms |
| A bill to free the global energy market |
| A bill to legalize consensual euthanasia by the patient prior to illness or unconsciousness |
| A bill to decrease student loans |
| A bill to limit opiate abuse by expanding medical marijuana access |
| A bill to set a national minimum age of holding juveniles in detention centers upon awaiting court jurisdiction |
Celebrating our Best Speakers
In addition to the successful passage of bills, a select number of students were chosen by their peers as Best Speakers for their articulation, presentation skills, and use of evidence in their speech.
| BEST SPEAKER | SCHOOL | JSA STATE |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Ballance | High Tech H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Zack Kay | Old Mill H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Eric Jiang | Bergen County Academies | Mid-Atlantic |
| Chimezie Amaechi | Plainfield H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Yash Roy | Princeton H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Daksh Kohli | South Brunswick H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Archit Mehta | West Windsor-Plainsboro H.S. North | Mid-Atlantic |
| Alex Landy | Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School | Mid-Atlantic |
| Sean Pergola | North Warren Regional H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Derek Lin | Bergen County Academies | Mid-Atlantic |
| Sumit Bedi | J.P. Stevens H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Nisieni Griffith | St. Croix Educational Complex | |
| Jason Cordova | South Brunswick H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Dennis Abate | Colts Neck H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Nicholas Seppy | Egg Harbor Township H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Max Falk | Parsippany Hills H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Reza Ali | St. Joseph's Prep | Texas |
| Brianna Richards | Plainfield Academy for the Arts and Advanced Studies | Mid-Atlantic |
| Guy Pastrana | Egg Harbor Township H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Josh Rakovitsky | Manalapan High School | Mid-Atlantic |
| Eric Jiang | Bergen County Academies | Mid-Atlantic |
| Sydnee Sherick | Spring-Ford Senior H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Vincent Marchese | Carnegie Vanguard H.S. | Texas |
| Awni Pimentel | Union City H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Archit Mehta | West Windsor-Plainsboro H.S. North | Mid-Atlantic |
| Jordan Ginsburg | Watchung Hills Regional H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Sean Pergola | North Warren Regional H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Ari Kleiman | St. John's H.S. | |
| Sumit Bedi | J.P. Stevens H.S. | Mid-Atlantic |
| Sam Fingerhut | Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School | Mid-Atlantic |
| Jay Patel | Central Jersey College Prep | Mid-Atlantic |
| Chase Karbon | Westlake H.S. | Southern California |
| Sophie Sternberg | Santa Monica H.S. | Southern California |
| Eli Pallrand | Oakwood H.S. | Southern California |
| David Kotkin | Beckman H.S. | Southern California |
| Alexandra Orbuch | Milken Community H.S. | Southern California |
| Judy Zhang | Palisades Charter H.S. | Southern California |
| Kyle Kalindjian | Pilibos Armenian H.S. | Southern California |
| Sam Itkin | The Buckley School | Southern California |
| Jacob Lapin | Harvard Westlake School | Southern California |
| Alondra Duran | Tarbot V Torah H.S. | Southern California |
| Paren Der-Sarkissin | Pilibos Armenian H.S. | Southern California |
| Brandon Xu | Northwood H.S. | Southern California |
| Kami Arabian | Pilibos Armenian H.S. | Southern California |
| Toby Scott | Palisades Charter H.S. | Southern California |
| Benjamin Zaidel | Palisades Charter H.S. | Southern California |
| Ryan Lee | Servite H.S. | Southern California |
| Petik Tangikyan | Pilibos Armenian H.S. | Southern California |
| Wendy Figueroa | Alliance Olga Mohan H.S. | Southern California |
| Rachel Metry | Santa Monica H.S. | Southern California |
| Anthony Alfaro | Alliance Olga Mohan H.S. | Southern California |
| Valerie Lopez | Alliance Olga Mohan H.S. | Southern California |
| Melissa Beining | Sunny Hills H.S. | Southern California |
| Anna Solares | Alliance Colins Family H.S. | Southern California |
| Toby Scott | Palisades Charter H.S. | Southern California |
| Audrey Andrews | Maria Carrillo H.S. | Northern California |
| Connor Whitehill | Bishop O'Dowd H.S. | Northern California |
| Celeste Palmer | Montgomery H.S. | Northern California |
| Claire Fogarty | Redwood H.S. | Northern California |
| Luke Wonzen | Alameda H.S. | Northern California |
| Ang Lee | Piedmont H.S. | Northern California |
| Micah Littlepage | Pitman H.S. | Northern California |
| Logan Goldstein | Petaluma H.S. | Northern California |
| Peter Smead | San Domenico H.S. | Northern California |
| Amy Chang | Lowell H.S. | Northern California |
| Alejandra Gutierrez | Livermore H.S. | Northern California |
| Eli Gunderman | Skyline H.S. | Pacific Northwest |
| Darshil Shah | Pullman H.S. | Pacific Northwest |
| Zander Gillet | The Overlake School | Pacific Northwest |
| Batu Akkas | Sunset H.S. | Pacific Northwest |
| Mariam Jallow | International School of Beaverton | Pacific Northwest |
| Ethan Hiser | Westview H.S. | Pacific Northwest |
| Arya Mavath | Issaquah H.S. | Pacific Northwest |
| Jedidiah Choi | Samammish H.S. | Pacific Northwest |
| Omar Fageeri | Newport H.S. | Pacific Northwest |
| Farah Lindsay-Almadani | The Overlake School | Pacific Northwest |
| Miles Hoeckel | Beaverton H.S. | Pacific Northwest |
| Lucy Erickson | Sunset H.S. | Pacific Northwest |
| Griffen Hehmeyer | The Overlake School | Pacific Northwest |
| Eliza Crocker | New Rochelle H.S. | Northeast |
| Steven Shi | Staten Island Tech | Northeast |
| Bradley Stoller | The Rivers School | Northeast |
| Joseph Pineda | Land O' Lakes H.S. | Southeast |
| David Ferarra | Shelton H.S. | Northeast |
| Scott Weinstein | John Jay H.S. | Northeast |
| Molly Scalenghe | Shelton H.S. | Northeast |
| Vaishali Kaushal | Prospect Hill Academy High School | Northeast |
| Rya Rivera | Clarkstown South H.S. | Northeast |
| Christopher Capiola | Naples H.S. | Southeast |
| Jacob Foster | Gann Academy | Northeast |
| Evelyn Mullaney | John Jay H.S. | Northeast |
| Stephanie Kusi | Bronx Commumnity College | Northeast |
| Ananda Francis | Clarkstown South H.S. | Northeast |
| Emma Dollar | John Jay H.S. | Northeast |
| Jacob Joffe | Gann Academy | Northeast |
| Max Mader | Miami Valley H.S. | Ohio River Valley |
| Michael Scellato | The Benjamin School | Southeast |
| Drew Eisenhauer | Arrowhead H.S. | Midwest |
| Brayden Reichelderfer | Lakota East H.S. | Ohio River Valley |
| Waverly Dooling | Naperville Central H.S. | Midwest |
| Callaghan Ruebensaal | Berea Midpark H.S. | Ohio River Valley |
| David Leshchiner | Vernon Hills H.S. | Midwest |
| Connor Morris | Indian Hill H.S. | Ohio River Valley |
| Jack DeStefano | Naperville Central H.S. | Midwest |
| Liam Clark | Naperville Central H.S. | Midwest |
| Rohan Vasavada | Arrowhead H.S. | Midwest |
| Ryan Allan | Miami Valley H.S. | Ohio River Valley |
In addition to bills and best speakers, JSA members also kicked off election season. JSA members will run for positions at the state and national level, including governor, mayor, and senators. Candidates will run campaigns through March. Elections will take place at Spring State.
