“Quiet on the floor!” Speaker of the House Audrey Miracle shuts down impassioned remarks from Representative Felts on the issue of pharmaceutical regulation.
For the final stretch of Model Congress, representatives on the House Floor have reached a breaking point. Republicans have began to adamantly oppose Smith’s pharmaceutical regulatory acts, stating “what did we do when the British taxed our tea? We threw it in the water! This act would abridge America’s basic ideals on corporations.” After some applause in the crowd, the bill passed the House.
The subject shifted to Dan Diamond’s controversial abortion rights bill. Debuting in the Senate, the bill immediately sparked contentious debates within the Senators, with Republicans staunchly opposing the bill and Democrats championing it. On the House Floor, Government teacher Mr. Richmond introduced the bill by urging respect among the representatives, framing the ten minute debate to come. Several members of both parties spoke, with Republicans arguing that a baby of that age could survive outside of the womb and Democrats stating that the act supports women. Democratic Representative Allison Hall supported the bill stating “banning abortion does not stop abortion, it stops people getting safe abortions.” The bill went straight to a ballot vote due to its contentious nature. After pages solemnly collected the ballots, it was announced that the bill had passed.
Speaker Miracle then introduced Representative McGinty’s bill that revises rent costs for those living in government-subsidized housing. The Republican party expressed strong support for the bill. Democratic Representative Ragsdale also supported the bill on behalf of her Nevada constituents. The bill quickly passed with strong bipartisan support.
The House then began discussion of Senator Streit’s bill that aimed to lower the minimum age for obtaining a protected order. Representative Love stated that the bill “would allow minors in difficult situations to seek help sooner, and potentially save lives.” Leader Abrahamson opposed the bill on the grounds that arming minors would only increase violent encounters. Representative Hall broke with her party to speak in support of the bill, saying that “a concealed carry of a non-firearm weapon doesn’t pose a major safety risk.” Democrats largely agreed on lowering the age to obtain a protective order, but were divided on the self-defense aspect of the legislation.
