Writing A Bill

Guidelines, Submitting and Drafting a Bill

GUIDELINES FOR THE BODY OF BILLS

1. NUMBERED LINES: Line numbers will be added after bills are submitted..

2. SECTIONS AND SUBSECTIONS: Should be bold & underlined with an Arabic number SECTION 1

3. DEFINITIONS: terms unfamiliar to the general public should be defined, or any term that a meaning unfamiliar to the general public should be defined.

Use the following format:

(Term or phrase) defined- A word or phrase meaning.....................

EXAMPLE

Client defined----a person using the service of this agency.

4. PROPOSITION: How do you propose that the outcome of the bill is to be accomplished?

5. PROCEDURAL or ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS: Who will enforce or see that the proposition is accomplished. ?

6. FUNDING: How much will this bill cost to implement, and where will any needed money to fund the proposition come from?  This must be a realistic number, not simply a guess you need to research an estimated cost          (THIS IS REQUIRED IN ALL BILLS)

7. SANCTIONS and PENALTIES: What will happen to those in violations of the proposition

8. REPEALING or SAVING CLAUSES: If any existing laws are to be repealed, or if any existing laws are to be saved because of the proposition they should be correctly noted.

9. ENACTMENT CLAUSES: When will this bill take effect, immediately upon passage, 90 days after passage, or another time set by the authors

10. STATMENT OF FACT: This is where you place facts that support your bill, this is not a place to put a written argument, only facts are to be a part of this section.  Facts must be verifiable, and sources listed in your bill references.

11. REFERENCES: List any research materials used in drafting your bill, this will allow others to check out your sources. They should be listed in bibliography style including magazines, newspaper, Internet, reference books articles, or interviews with local officials.

12. BILL SUMMARY: The final section of the bill should be a 2 or 3 line summation of the purpose of the bill.

What do you want to happen because of this bill.

TYPES OF LEGISLATION THAT MAY BE SUBMITTED

Remember that our program deals only with Maine issues and Maine law, changes in federal statues and rules can’t be submitted. Also bills must be in accordance with the Maine Constitution and the Constitution of the United States. Bills may only be submitted by completing the online bill submission form.

There are 4 types of submissions possible.

1. BILL: A bill may do any one or more of the following; create a new law, amend an existing law, or repeal and existing law.

2. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT: a change to the Maine Constitution, this require a two-thirds majority of both Houses to pass. The title of the bill would need to read: “A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: An act to the qualified electors of Maine an Amendment to Article _____ of the Maine Constitution to...................

3. REFERENDA: This would put to the voters of the State of Maine the passage or rejection of your proposition. The correct title would read: “A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: An act to _________(describe the content of the act), providing that the proposed act be submitted to the qualified electorate of the State of Maine.

4. JOINT RESOLUTION: Used to express a desire, an opinion, sympathy, a request of the legislature, to express the will of the legislature to the United States Congress, to amend the rules of the House and Senate, or to ratify a proposed Constitutional Amendment. The title should read: A Joint Resolution of the Maine State Senate and the Maine House of Representative of the YMCA Camp of Maine Youth in Government program to...............

DRAFTING YOUR BILL

In drafting your idea answer the following questions. These questions are on the State of Maine web site in the section where Legislators go to submit new bills. They are told they must be able to answer these questions in order to submit a bill. To look up existing bills or get other information about drafting a bill checkout:

Laws of Maine Directory or Maine's Government Website

• What is the problem you are seeking to address?
• What is your proposed solution?
• Is it essential that this proposal takes effect immediately (requiring a 2/3 vote of each House) or can it take effect 90 days after adjournment of the Legislature? If it is an emergency, why is it an emergency?
• Who is being directed to implement your proposal?
• How will it be enforced? Are there any penalties?
• Do you have any background material that would help staff draft your proposal?
• Are you aware of any other states that have tried your proposed solution? If so, which states?
• Has this solution been proposed to the Maine Legislature in the past? If so, when?

GRAMMAR SUGGESTIONS FOR DRAFTING A BILL

1. Use the present tense

2. Use simple language. Don’t use two words when one will do, don’t long if a short one will do.

3. Use the active voice, not passive (example “shall appoint”, NOT “shall be appointed”)

4. Use singular instead of plural when possible.

5. Use the article “a” or “an” for more precise writing. (example “A person who....”, is better than “any person...., each person....., or all persons....)

6. Use gender-neutral language when referring to person affected by the bill. Words like “member, person, individual or applicant”.

7. The word “shall” should not be used to state a legal result or fact. (Example “A person who violates this is guilty of a felony”, NOT “A person who violates that act shall be guilty of a felony”.

8. Use “Shall” when you are imposing a duty or indicating that an action is mandatory.

9. Use “May” for something optional or when a right, privilege or power is conferred, say “May Not” to express a prohibition. Avoid double negatives such as “Can’t not choose to...”

10. Capitalize as little as possible according to standard usage.

11. Use correct punctuation to support your idea and avoid ambiguity 1

12. Avoid abbreviations. If you use them spell out the first time it is used then show in parentheses.

13. If you can’t avoid provisos, introduce an exception or limitation with “except that”, “but” or “however” or simply state a new sentence.

14. If the circumstances in which rule are to apply can be stated briefly and simply they should precede the rule itself.

15. A direct statement should include all persons & things covered by the rule, if 1 exception place at end.

GENERAL FORM GUIDELINES FOR BILLS

1. Use the current year bill form.

2. Other than the Header of the Bill, it should be single-spaced.

3. Express your intent in clear, concise, everyday language. Do not use vague or flowery language.

4. Because our time is short and printing costs are high bills are limited to 2 pages.

5. All sections and subsections must be numbered

6. Any materials to be stricken from present law is to marked out using hyphens, or strikeout feature. Materials to be added to present law should be underlined.

7. Bills should deal with only one subject; rather combining several ideas into one bill submit more bills.

8. Bills must be submitted with a cost. A dollar figure that the sponsor has determined it would cost the State of Maine to implement this bill.

(NO BILLS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE BILLBOOK WITHOUT THIS SECTION)

HEADER FORM GUIDELINES FOR BILLS

1. PROGRAM TITLE: The bill should have the proper program title at the very top of the page. “YMCA CAMP OF MAINE, Youth in Government Program, Model Legislature.

2. BILL NUMBER: Leave this blank the program staff will complete it.

3. INTRODUCED BY: List everyone who helped in the drafting of the bill. Also please list the school or club they represent.

4. ENDORSED BY: Each bill must have the name of a club advisor, school official or YMCA staff person who has read the bill and endorses it’s submission.  Bills will be emailed to the endorser to confirm that they did in fact agree that this bill should be submitted.

5. REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON: Leave blank program staff will assign bills to committee.

6. TITLE: A short descriptive title with the opening, “A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED”

(all caps, but no quotes, it should be centered)........................followed under it by,

“An Act to................ followed by a brief description of the bill.

Don’t use cutesy titles

If the bills revises or amends existing law the Maine Revised Statute Annotated (MRSA) title number must appear.

7. ENACTMENT CLAUSE: This line comes after the title and before the main body of the bill. In all caps,

“BE IT ENACTED BY THE (year) STATE YMCA OF MAINE MODEL LEGISLATURE TO::”