The 115th Congress-Washington 2017

[Prolieum]

House Floor-Chair

"One in support, two in opposition. The chair would look favorably upon an additional speaker in support."

[Tallahassee News Station]

Jared surprisingly got up.

"Mr. Speaker, move to be added to the speakers list in support."

[Prolieum]

House Floor-Chair

"Two in support, two in opposition. Representative De Nieto, the floor is yours."

[Democratic Peoples republic of Kelvinsi]

House Floor-Chair

"Two in support, two in opposition. Representative De Nieto, the floor is yours."

"Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker and all of the honorable members of the House, while I am a firm supporter of the idea of the bill, I simply cannot support it at its current state. At its current state the bill allows for people like child molesters, abusive spouses, and other such people to go inflict more torment on those who they already abused. I simply refuse to lend my vote to a bill that would allow victims to go through more torment than they already went through. If the bill can address the problem of potentially inflicting more harm on its victims.

One major area of concern that I have is how this bill handles minors in the case of criminals convicted of crimes such as child molestation. You all my ask what is wrong with such a thing, it is voluntary after all? Well for many people it is not. During my time as the Representative for the great city of San Francisco, I have talked to victims of child molestation, child abuse, and even child rape. Let me tell all of you, you cannot leave a conversation with a child who underwent that. Many times people ask: Why did these kids just not run away? Well for many of them they despite the abuse that they suffered still felt a sense of love and loyalty to their parents, despite the terrible things that the parents have done to them. Now you are asking them to ask if they want to visit their parents who despite doing terrible things to them are still their parents. I would garner that many of them would agree to visit those who molested them, wishing to make them happy at the expense of themselves. This leaves the door open for further psychological torment, as children would often times be in the same room as their tormentors. Such a scenario should not be allowed to happen in any civilized society. Since, when did we allow child molesters to visit their victims again? Such an issue must be resolved in this bill by forbidding those who were convicted of sexual crimes against children from visiting minors.

Another major issue I have with this bill is the issue of spouses during cases of domestic abuse, many times the victims of domestic abuse, and those in abusive relationships develop a sort of Stockholm syndrome and that is often times that many people stay in abusive relationships, despite the abuse that they receive. Of course there are other reasons such as love, fear of being outed, fear in general, and believing that the domestic abuse is normal. It is only natural to assume that the same relationship will continue in such visits, the victim will feel obligated to visit their abuser, and feel further hurt. If you allow abusive husbands or wives to get visited by their spouses, the spouse may be subject to further internal torment as they see the face of the person who tormented them. I suggest that we resolve this by not allowing those who committed domestic abuse from getting visited by their spouse, and any children.

If we fix these two major concerns with this bill then I would be more than happy to support the bill, as I sense it has good purposes at its heart. I now yield the floor."

[Prolieum]

House Floor-Chair

"Representative O'Leary, the floor is yours."

[Tallahassee News Station]

"Honorable ladies and gentlemen, when we talk about prisons we have to remember the prisoners that we're talking about. A broken criminal justice system has unfairly put disproportionate numbers of African-Americans in our prisons in an unfortunate reminder of the racism still in our society

Because of poverty and discrimination many more African-Americans come from broken families than whites or Hispanics or Asians. So many of these families are broken because of our broken criminal justice system that imprisons far more African Americans proportionately than whites. Are we really going to be so cold-hearted that we will deny these people the chances to see their families that they have been ripped from? Or is there possibly another motivation to trying to keep a disproportionately African-American population from being allowed to work to heal their broken families?"

Leaving them to think on that Jared takes a seat.

[Prolieum]

House Floor-Chair

"Representative Johnson of California, the floor is yours."

[Meelducan]

House of Representatives

"Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Gentlemen and gentlewomen of the house, let me ask you a question. It will be a very short question. Why should people that assassinate a head of our government conjugal visits? This is the very clear answer, they shouldn't. Why should someone who has the audacity to commit terror on U.S soil have the right to see their children and spouses? As far as I'm concerned as soon as they commit that Terror they immediately lose most of their rights. I am very much in favor of this bill, but not in its current state. It needs some amendments added to it."

"And to the Representative of Illinois, I have a few words for you. If they don't want the time, don't commit the crime."

Donald pretends to lift up an air microphone and proceeds to drop it, walking back over to his seat.

[Alozia]

Senate Floor
John Kingston

"Mr. President, honorable colleauges, for a long time now many Americans have been and still are being punished for simply being who they are. Thankfully we're making progress - like the Supreme Court's Obergefell v. Hodges ruling. However despite that many members of the LGBTQ+ community face discrimination, for example from state officials such as Missisippi Governor Williams. With this bill we can make further progress in achieving equality and ending discrimination based on sexuality, gender identity and gender expression. I believe that it is our utmost duty to make such progress happen. Thank you."

[Prolieum]

Senate Floor-Chair

"The floor is open for debate, or questioning."

[Dentali]

Senate Floor

"Senator Kingston" Fowler says, "I applaud the sentiment behind this bill in terms of ensuring equal rights and treatment under the law. However I need some further information."

"First off regarding Section 5, the FDA has conducted numerous studies regarding donations of blood and as recently as 2014 changed their policy for a shorter deferment period. Why should we not listen to the recommendations of the experts at the FDA?"

[Prolieum]

House Floor

Rossi, still shaking slightly after her address and the heated questioning, found herself growing uncharacteristically angry at all of it, an emotional backlash. Try as she might to force it down, it was affecting her focus, and she spent half a minute first silently working to bring herself together, then false-starting into her address, before getting the words out.

"It is absolute, incontrovertible fact that this bill ascribes complete and total freedom and agency to the family. The...decision is...made....solely by the...family member, and no one else. There is no coercion. There is no force used. This bill grants complete and total freedom of choice to the members of the incarcerated's family, to reject or accept any visit, and gives no power whatsoever to any other person or group to make that decision. The prisoner will only be visited if his or her family agrees to this. They are not being released. They are not returning to their families' homes. They remain imprisoned. The only means by which such a conjugal visit may be arranged is by the sole discretion of the family member."

"It is explicit fact that prison superintendents, wardens, and authorities have full and complete authority to suspend or reject visits if any mandated security requirements are not met. It is explicit fact that said prison authorities have complete authority to deny conjugal visits to any prisoner demonstrating any sign of potential recidivism and lack of honest desire to rehabilitate."

"It is fundamentally true that the strengthening of familial and marital ties is directly connected to reductions in recidivism and...increases in rehabilitation. It is plainly fact that a prisoner rehabilitated into society accrues a larger benefit, through the working and paying of taxes, the personal coverage of personal expenses, and the avoidance of criminal behavior, than a prisoner committing crimes against society upon release, and mandating increased spending by the public to incarcerate and provide for said individual."

"Families have absolute and total say in making the decision. Prison administrators have full authority in permitting meetings and rescinding them in any potential case of security violation. A meeting requires both assent given freely by a familial member, and authorization granted by the prison administrator. No avenue of coercion or use of force exists. In any theoretical situation in which the slightest signs of potential coercion are present, violation of established security requirements then provides for immediate preemptive cancellation or suspension of the meeting."

Rossi tries to catch her breath, and regain her focus, having driven on through near to the finish, but now swaying off-course again.

"This...legislation...offers full freedom in choice, full security authority, and the opportunity for positive rehabilitation and healing between broken families."

Further words not making it through her throat, Rossi simply nods, and takes her seat.

[Prolieum]

House Floor-Chair

"With the conclusion of the speakers' list, the floor is open to debate and motions."

[Dentali]

House Floor

Brennan: "Murders get visits? Do the families of their victims get to visit their family members who had been taken from them?"

[Alozia]

Senate Floor
John Kingston

"Senator, I do not believe that there are good reasons why someone should not be able to contribute to our society in this or any other way only because of his or her sexual identity. Like you said the policy has been changed and I doubt that that's a rare thing. I would also like to point out, that this policy has been changed before the previously mentioned Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court rulling. Said policy clearly does need to be updated."

[Prolieum]

House Floor

"Revenge is not an instrument of public policy." Rossi repeated, again, firmly. "Sabotaging rehabilitation for the purpose of personal desire for vengeance has a directly negative effect on society for the purpose of solely emotional motivations. To deny the chance for innocent family members to see their sibling, child, parent, or spouse is to punish those who have done no wrong in the aims of serving an emotional end bearing negative effects on society."

[Prolieum]

Senate Floor

Hazelelponi rose.

"Senator, what national security purpose is served in forcing the United States Armed Forces to enlist recruits that are deluded about their sex?"

[Chewion]

House Floor

"If I may offer my interpretation of the heart of this bill. It is not to reward those that have committed crimes. It is instead a way to keep from punishing their innocent loved ones. Parents, siblings, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, spouses, etc. that have done nothing and yet are punished by not be allowed to touch their family member for years if not ever again. Now Madame Representative, correct me if I am wrong and this is not the intent of your bill."

[Prolieum]

House Floor

Rossi gave Kiser an openly grateful nod and gaze, even as she slipped on her words.

"It....Healing and rehabilitation is it."

Her tongue caught in her throat, and she nodded to the rest of the chamber.

[Dentali]

Senate Floor
John Kingston

"Senator, I do not believe that there are good reasons why someone should not be able to contribute to our society in this or any other way only because of his or her sexual identity. Like you said the policy has been changed and I doubt that that's a rare thing. I would also like to point out, that this policy has been changed before the previously mentioned Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court rulling. Said policy clearly does need to be updated."

Fowler "I'm asking why we break policy and make this determination ourselves instead of leaving it to the officials at the FDA who do this professionally?"

[Dentali]

House Floor

"Revenge is not an instrument of public policy." Rossi repeated, again, firmly. "Sabotaging rehabilitation for the purpose of personal desire for vengeance has a directly negative effect on society for the purpose of solely emotional motivations. To deny the chance for innocent family members to see their sibling, child, parent, or spouse is to punish those who have done no wrong in the aims of serving an emotional end bearing negative effects on society."

Brennan: "If that is your position why incarcerate them at all? If its just, as you say "a personal and emotional desire" .The desire is not personal, the families of victims do not get to levy a sentence on criminals. We have juries, judges and an entire legal system to dole out punishment."

[Prolieum]

House Floor

"The question raised is wholly irrelevant to the present debate." Rossi affirmed. "It has been historically accepted that society benefits from the temporary quarantine of individuals who would do it harm. To restrict an individual guilty of theft from the quotidian society of private property is a social decision made on the basis of lessening potential harm to those members of society by removing the threat of theft by the individual until such a time as it is believed that the behavior will not be repeated. Such is a decision made on the objective basis of societal need and benefit. To deny such an individual, and the family of such an individual, the opportunity of such a visit as this in order to fulfill a desire of inflicting pain is a decision made on the basis of personal emotional and not societal benefit, with societal effects of the emotional decision manifesting as increased recidivism and ultimate harm to society."

[Tallahassee News Station]

"I move to call the previous question" Jared said

[Prolieum]

House Floor

"I second the motion." Rossi called out, in a mix of tension and sigh.

[Dentali]

House Floor

"The question raised is wholly irrelevant to the present debate." Rossi affirmed. "It has been historically accepted that society benefits from the temporary quarantine of individuals who would do it harm. To restrict an individual guilty of theft from the quotidian society of private property is a social decision made on the basis of lessening potential harm to those members of society by removing the threat of theft by the individual until such a time as it is believed that the behavior will not be repeated. Such is a decision made on the objective basis of societal need and benefit. To deny such an individual, and the family of such an individual, the opportunity of such a visit as this in order to fulfill a desire of inflicting pain is a decision made on the basis of personal emotional and not societal benefit, with societal effects of the emotional decision manifesting as increased recidivism and ultimate harm to society."

"If rehabilitation is your goal then what of those committing such heinous crimes that they receive death or life sentences? Ones not subject to parole? I would feel much more comfortable if authority in the matter of visits was given to courts and judges upon the recommendation of a prison warden, I do not feel prison wardens should be invested with such unilateral authority."