NationStates Jolt Archive

Help! I am in Youth Legislature, its where you are either senator or a representative and propose a bill. I am a senator and didn't really have any say in my bill, no fault to the creator. The problem is I am not sure if it agrees with my views, but if I don't support I will look like a (bigger) asshole. What should I do? Here is the bill,
AN ACT TO ALTER THE DEFINITION OF “FORESTLAND” FOR THE TENNESSEE DEPARMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION



BE IT ENACTED BY THE TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH LEGISLATURE:





Section 1: Terms in this act, unless the context requires otherwise, shall be defined as follows:



Forestland: any land that is at least 10% stocked with trees or has been stocked in the past and has not been changed to another use category
Clear cut: a harvest in which all or nearly all trees are removed in one cutting
Harvest: the gathering of a ripened crop
Timber: the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material



Section 2: That “forestland” be redefined as “any land that is at least 50% stocked with trees or has been stocked within the last three years and has not been changed to another use category.”



Section 3: That companies wishing to harvest timber must collect solely from land qualifying as forestland.



Section 4: That the penalty for the harvesting of trees from land failing to qualify as forestland be set at a base fine of two thousand dollars ($2,000), and a maximum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000).



Section 4: All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this are hereby repealed



Section 5: This act shall take effect immediately, the general welfare requiring it.

That depends on your basic view on the role of legislators. If you view the legislator as the people's voice in congress then you should vote based on what your constituents believe regardless of your personal opinion. If you view the legislator as someone who should do what he feels is best for his constituents (regardless of what his constituents think is best for themselves), then you need to vote based on your own beleifs.

Go with what you think as I take it you have no people to serve, right? You are not like a class leader and act as their rep.? If so then go with what the majority says.
P.S. The act is bull!

By 50% do they mean total land area covered by the trees themselves? If so I would reduce it to 30% if possible.

put in a 'poison pill'

Indeed I have no people for whom I serve. 50% I believe means total land covered by forest. I find that percentage particularly high and wish to reduce to a reasonable 25 0r 30%, but he said it is best to have it too high than too low, which I say a bit absurd.

pigeon hole it? or perhaps just don't vote yea or nea, just like in the real congress, that only meets like 150 days of the year, and even then rarely a full vote.