Jasmine Scott

Monday, November 17th, 2014

CAP 10
Letter to the Constituents
Dear Constituents,
I am writing this letter to inform you of the decisions I made this past week during
Congress. All my votes were made in the interest of the people and to help benefit the country.
The first bill that was introduced into the Senate was The Fresh Apple Act which was
about making the Common Core a national standard. The bill stated that Common Core should
be removed as the national standard and that the states should be able to make their own
standards. Most members of the Senate were in favor of the bill and argued that the Common
Core gives the same material to the millions of students in the United States. The curriculum is
too broad and lacks focus on most students. It also didnt have a curriculum for ESOL students or
students with mental disorders. The Common Core made it unfair by requiring a student who
barely understands English to meet the same requirements as a student who has been speaking it
their entire life. It was also argued that the Common Core standards would make it so some
states education would be lowered. The Common Core would be making the national standard
an average for all states therefore if states that had a higher educational system than the Common
Core standards the states would have to lower their standards and the students would learn less. I
voted in favor of the bill because I believe that the Common Core as a national standard would
not benefit American students and that the states should be able to make their curricula to better
accommodate each student. However, the president vetoed the bill and argued that the bill would
not work because the states lacked funding for education because the federal government didnt
have nay power. When the bill was brought back to the Senate I voted against overruling the
president because I agreed that the federal government needed to fund the programs and that
should be stated in the bill. I also believe that the federal government should create a minimum
standard that still allowed the states to have most of the power to make sure students learn what
they should.
The second bill was S.2 which was about raising the minimum wage. The bill stated that
the national minimum wage should be raised from $7.25 to $9.10 and from $2.13 to $4 for tipped
workers by 2018 and then to $10 and $5 by 2020. The arguments that the minimum wage should
be raised were mostly supported by all Senate members. Some argued that the minimum wage
isnt enough for people to live above the poverty line. Many workers who receive minimum
wage pay have entire families to support and the minimum wage is barely enough to support one
person. Raising the minimum wage will help get people the money they need to survive. I voted
in favor of the bill and we passed it to be reviewed by the House and in committee. When the bill
came back to the Senate we had to vote again because it was changed in committee that labor

workers who receive housing from their employers be treated as tipped workers and have the
same minimum wage. The bill was sent to the president who signed off on it and made it a bill. I
voted for this bill both time because I feel as if it will be able to improve the lives of minimum
wage workers. I will help bring many workers out of poverty and help parents support
themselves as well as their children. It also help tipped worker be better off because it raised the
minimum from $2.13. To be payed the wage of a tipped worker the employee had to make at
least $30 a month in tips. $2.13 an hour plus $30 in tips a month did not equate to the low wage
of $7.25. Having a raise in both minimum wages and having labor employees who receive
housing under the standards for tipped workers will help all employees throughout the country.
The third bill that was passed was the S.3 which was about allowing local police force to
be able to use military equipment. The bill stated that it should be legal for police to be able to
use excess defensive military equipment. It also said that if equipment was used improperly
workers would punishments depending on the severity of the crime. Many members of the
Senate agreed that the police should be allowed to use excess military equipment but they feared
how people would be able to misuse it. It was argued that non-offensive vehicles could send the
community into panic if the were brought in when not needed and that it would be easy to use
them when it wasnt appropriate. On the other side it was argued that the vehicles could help
greatly in disastrous situations when needed. An amendment was made that out strict penalties to
help ensure that citizens will be protected. After the bill left the Senate it went to committee and
to the House of Representatives were if was passed as well. It was sent to the president and it
was turned into a law. I voted in favor of this bill because I thought it would help support local
police departments while protecting citizens. The excess equipment would help give needed
material to the police at a low cost. It would be more expensive to store or destroy the equipment
and the police could benefit if used. The bill only allowed the use of non-offensive equipment to
stop unfair targeting by police and help keep citizens safe. It also stated that phasing out of
offensive equipment would start immediately.
The fourth bill that was presented in the Senate was S.4 which was about allowing
amnesty for child immigrants. This bill stated that it was legal for children from other countries
to come illegally into the United States and not be sent back. The Senators had many different
opinions about this bill. Many argued that it isnt fair to allow people to have free access into the
country through illegal ways while other immigrants have been patiently waiting for years to
gain citizenship. Other argued that these children are escaping terrible experiences in their home
countries and that it is better for them if they were allowed to stay. The bill made it so illegal
immigrants under the age of 18 by the time they enter the United States will be allowed to stay
and have 7 years or upon reaching adulthood (18 years), which ever comes later, to gain
citizenship. The bill was passed in the Senate and in the House of Representatives. It was taken
to the president who signed off on it and made it into a law. I voted in favor this bill because I
believe that even though it is not just to allow people to immigrate to a country illegally it would
help protect the children coming to the US and give them a better life. They would be able to
enter a safer environment and have the opportunity to become legal United States citizens.

The fifth bill the was passed was from the House of Representatives and was about facial
recognition software being legal. The bill stated that it is illegal for facial recognition technology
to be fro private purposes but it was legal for it to be used if needed for work or used by
authorities to find missing persons or criminals. Senate members agreed with the bill; however
we thought it was important to make stricter regulations to use the software. We made an
amendment that made a requirement for a warrant to be obtained before the use of the software
to make sure that the software wasnt being used improperly. We also made an amendment that
said if a person was suspected of a crime but found innocent they should be removed from the
database, but all persons found guilty will remain. It was argued hat the technology could limit
the privacy of citizens. While other arguments states that the technology would only be looking
certain people therefore non-criminals, missing persons, or suspects should have to worry. The
bill was passed in the Senate and sent to the president who signed it and it became a law. I voted
in favor for this bill because I thought it would limit the private uses of the technology but still
support police to help find criminals and missing persons. I think it would be very beneficial for
the police to be able to use public cameras to find people who are either harming citizens or
missing.
The sixth and final bill passed was the S.5 which was about Right to Die Laws and
legalizing doctor assisted suicide. The bill stated that it was legal for doctors to prescribe a lethal
dose of pain medicine to patients who have terminally ill diseases and met the requirements. The
Senate members had differing opinions about this bill because we wanted to ensure that no life
was ever taken without absolute certainty that it was the right thing to do. Some members argued
that patients could be forced into doctor assisted suicide and that they might be suffering from
other non-terminal illnesses like depression that would want to make them end their lives. Others
argued that it is important to end the misery of patients who are suffering severe from their
terminal illness. We made amendments that clarified if a patient could make decisions for
themselves to use doctor assisted suicide. The amendment stated that patients need to be tested
by a psychiatrist to see if they are fit to make medical decisions. The bill was passed in the
Senate and sent to the House of Representatives and then the president who signed it and it
became a law. I voted in favor of this bill and the amendments because I feel as if it is important
for patients to have the opportunity to end their suffering that cannot be helped with pain
medications if they have a terminal illness. I also find it very important to protect the lives of
people who think that it may be a good option for them but have other options that could be
better for them.
Thank you for supporting me and I promise to make sure your views are always heard.
Sincerely,
Senator Jasmine A.R. Scott