Northeast Propositions for the month of December

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Vehicle Procurement Act of 2007

Whereas, protecting the environment is of utmost importance to the future and well-being of the Northeast Region; and
Whereas, purchasing alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles will be a net financial benefit to the Northeast as gasoline prices continue to rise and fossil fuels become more scarce; therefore:

Be it resolved by the Northeast General Assembly:

SECTION 1. All new vehicles purchased for offical regional use in the Northeast (including buses used for the purposes of regional-subsidized mass transit) must, at a minimum, meet PZEV (Partial Zero-emissions Vehicle) standards.
a.  Definition.  In order to qualify as a PZEV, a vehicle must meet the SULEV (Super Ultra Low-emissions Vehicle) standard and, in addition, have zero evaporative emissions from its fuel system plus an extended (15-year/150,000-mile) warranty on its emission-control components, which incidentally covers the propulsion electrical components of a hybrid electric vehicle.

SECTION 2. Vehicles should meet AT-PZEV (Advanced Technology Partial zero-emissions vehicle) standards or better whenever economically feasible.  (AT-PZEV standards include cars that utilize hybrid technology.)

SECTION 3. Effective Date.  The Vehicle Procurement Act of 2007 shall go into effect immediately upon passage.


Death Penalty Reform Act of 2007

Whereas, The Northeast Region finds the taking of human life to be a most solemn and grave matter;
Whereas, The Northeast Region finds that, if a penalty of death is to be applied, it should be done so under the most strict of conditions and only after a heightened burden of proof has been met; and
Whereas, The Northeast Region finds the method of execution currently used in the region, death by lethal injection, to have the potential for being "cruel and unusual;" therefore:

Be it resolved by the Northeast General Assembly:

SECTION 1. The Northeast shall limit the use of the death penalty for terrorist acts, murders involving torture, the killing of active duty law enforcement officers, and murder sprees.

SECTION 2. The Northeast shall require a burden of proof where jurors find "no doubt" as to the guilt of the defendant before the death penalty may be applied.

SECTION 3. The Northeast shall allow for jurors who do not support the death penalty to serve in death penalty cases.

SECTION 4. The Northeast shall not allow the use of the death penalty for defendants under 18 at the time of the applicable offense and those who are "mentally ill."

SECTION 5. Jurors must find that there is ''conclusive evidence" reaching a ''high level of scientific certainty" linking the defendant to the crime scene, the murder weapon, or the victim's body before a death sentence can be imposed. This evidence may include DNA evidence, footwear impressions, fingerprints, ballistics, and photographs.

SECTION 6. All inmates currently serving on death row shall be eligable for a new trial by jury solely to address the terms of their sentence.  If the prosecution is not able to meet the burden for the death penalty as provided in the Death Penalty Reform Act of 2007, the sentence of death shall be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

SECTION 7. The use of the lethal injection method of applying the death penalty shall hereby be outlawed in the Northeast effective January 1, 2009.  The sole method of execution in the Northeast thereafter shall be death by carbon monoxide poisoning.

SECTION 8.  Effective Date.  The Death Penalty Reform Act of 2007 shall go into effect immediately upon passage.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Northeast Resolution Honoring FezzyFestoon and Rin-chan

Whereas, FezzyFestoon served the Northeast Region with distinction as Governor from February 2006 to August 2006, and again from December 2006 to September 2007;
Whereas, Rin-chan served the Northeast Region with distinction as Lieutenant Governor from February 2006 to August 2006, and again from March 2007 to September 2007;
Whereas, Governor FezzyFestoon and Lieutenant Governor Rin-chan both claim residence in New Jersey; and
Whereas, the Northeast Regional Assembly sees it fit to honor both Governor Festoon and Lieutenant Governor Rin-chan for their service; therefore:

Be it resolved by the Northeast General Assembly:

SECTION 1.  The section of Interstate 78 wholly inside the state of New Jersey (consisting of 67.83 miles/109.16 kilometers and connecting the Interstate 78 Toll Bridge in Phillipsburg, NJ to the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City, NJ) shall be designated the 'Governor FezzyFestoon Memorial Highway.'

SECTION 2.  The section of Interstate 287 wholly inside the state of New Jersey (consisting of 67.54 miles/108.70 kilometers and connecting the New York state line in Mahwah, NJ to the New Jersey Turnpike/Interstate 95 in Edison, NJ) shall be designated the 'Lieutenant Governor Rin-chan Memorial Highway.'

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Vehicle Procurement Act of 2007
X  Mr. Moderate

Death Penalty Reform Act of 2007
X  Mr. Moderate

Northeast Resolution Honoring FezzyFestoon and Rin-chan
X  Mr. Moderate

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

I'm thrilled that Senator Verily has introduced the Public School Vouchers Act (PSVA), which I honestly consider one of the most important pieces of legislation we will contemplate in our Atlasian lifetimes.

The brain child of the NLC, the PSVA does two wonderful things for our public schools:

(1) It creates competition for students, which will lead to increased levels of specialization.  Currently, Northeastern public schools cannot easily create specialized curricula.  Under the PSVA, schools can now innovate and design specialized curricula to attract ambitious students, giving our youth a tremendous head start on college.  Imagine a school that develops a strong biology/biomedical curriculum, with real hands-on experience and cooperation with industry.  Imagine a school that specializes in computer programming, design, and logic, with teachers given the opportunity to really challenge the Northeast's best computer-minded students.  Or a school that specializes in art, where students can go beyond the basic pen and paper and actually use oil paints on real canvas or use current, industry-standard design programs to professional layouts and designs under guidance of teachers who actually understand and specialize in what they are teaching.

All that is possible under the PSVA, which leverages economies of scale beautifully.  We really are talking about an entirely new educational experience, completely divorced from existing, religion-based private schools.

(2) Poorly performing schools will be forced to institute sweeping reforms that they and the teachers' unions, under the current system, strongly resist.  The Northeast has already tried throwing money at problem schools, but even with this extra money, schools in Newark, NJ significantly lag those in the suburbs operating just 10 miles west in both quality of education and safety.  Under the PSVA, these students can now enroll in a school that best suits their abilities and goals, rather than whatever brick building their home address consigns them to.

I enthusiastically endorse the Public School Vouchers Act, and urge all Northeasterners to vote in the affirmative.

X  Mr. Moderate

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

I do stand opposed to the Snowmobile Act.  While in the Senate, I voted against a provision to prohibit snowmobiles in our national parks.  I oppose a ban in state parks, as well.

I feel that snowmobiles, while a nuisance to some, are indeed a valid way to enjoy the outdoors that we are dutifully trying to protect.  Advances clean technology will go a long way to improving the devices, making engines run cleaner, more efficiently, and more quietly.

Snowmobiles do not have a place in every park, and there are some pristine areas that should rightfully be protected from their noise and footprint.  Still, this should be up to the individual parks to decide.

Ideally, I would like to see our state parks, where applicable and feasable, create separate trails for snowmobiling, so that all can celebrate and enjoy our open spaces in the way they best see fit.


I do support, and hereby sign, the Campaigning for Invalidation of Votes Initiative.

X  Mr. Moderate

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

And just so there's no controversy, I'll resign the Northeast Resolution Honoring FezzyFestoon and Rin-Chan to officially give it the required 3 signatures post-edit.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Northeast Euthanasia Act of 2007

X  Mr. Moderate