Major Legislation (An Independent in 2000)

Naturally with the election of a President as different as Charles Malcolm Edwards, radically different policies and legislation would be implimented. The following is a list of the most important pieces of legislation passed under President Charles Malcolm Edwards.

Right Track
The Edwards administration's education plan was one of the staple features of the 2000 campaign. Unike Governor Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, Edwards's was based around the European model for education. Specificaly the Plan allocated billions for the creation of new Charter Schools and greater student tracking. This effectively gave any student the right to transfer to a charter school at any time they feel that they have an interest in a specific subject of field. This plan ultimately resulted in the US staying on par with Korea, Germany, Japan, and China in the creaation of scientists and engineers and greatly ecouraged the arts, unlike OTL. The plan was replaced by the Universal Eduaction Act in 2007, when the ASteroid was captured.

Energy Independence and Security Act
Brought on immediately after the source of funding for al Qaeda was discovered to be linked directly to Saudi Arabian Oil revenues, EISA effectively raised the CAFE standards to 45 mpg for all vehicles in the US. This increase in standards completely removed America's dependacy on foreign oil.

2003 Immigration Reform Act
Pardons all Illegal immagrants and defines them as US Citizens. The bill also makes it easier to gain US Citizenship.

Military Reform Act
Launches an investigation of the US military and stops all contracts that are deemed to be providing soldiers with inadequate equipment. The act was mainly directed at lightening the US military into a much more agile force that could respond to brushfire warfare and counterterrorism quickly, and if need be, quietly. The act provides for a rerouting of US Military funding to better armor, weapons, and healthcare funds. The act is what ultimately killed the Future Warrior program and allocated those funds to simpler and much more effective weapons, such as the M-8 Electronically Fired Assault Rifle, and the Mithril Body Armor.

28th Amendment
The Balanced Budget Amendment was passed in 2002 to ensure that once the War on Terror ended, the Federal Budget could be brought under control.

War on Drugs Repeal
During the height of the Millennium Economic Crisis in 2003 the Edwards Administration announced that it would cut funding for the War on Drugs, and asked Congress to lower the punishment for Marijuana related crimes. The bill passed only hesitantly, and crime in the US actually went down.

Proposed Legislation
Most of the following is seen to be likely to pass under President Obama.

29th Amendment
Known Freedom of Marriage Amendment; this piece of legislation would effectively bar Congress or any branch of Government, federal, state, and local, from making laws that discriminate against gay and transexual couples from engaging in Civil Unions, and defines Marriage as a religious institution. This piece of the Second Bill of Rights has been met with extreme opposition among the Christian Right, and only luke war approval from the Independents.

30th Amendment
Known as Right to Choose Amendment; this part of the SBR would make a woman's right to have an Abortion federal law, effectively solidifying Roe v. Wade. The bill has been met with extreme scrutiny and its cosigners are currently meeting with doctors and scientists to define when the cut off date should be for abortions. So far, "at the doctor's discretion," is the preferred language, though defining five months as the cut off date with the exceptions provided for the health of the mother is also being considered.

31st Amendment
The 31st Amendment would effectively make Free and Universal Health Care a Fundamental right as a US Citizen. The legislation is heavily modeled after HR 676, and solidifies social security as a Constitutional Right.

32nd Amendment
Effectively makes free and Universal Education a constitutional right up to undergraduate college.

33rd Amendment
Creates a US Jobs Corps that requires that ever person who wants a job is given one. This is to be accomplished by giving people with little to no skills menial labor employment, and gives those with marketable skills employment on government public works programs.

34th Amendment
Finds every person in the country a place to live should they not have one, and provides them low income residence should they not be able to afford a home.

35th Amendment
Abolishes Electoral College.

36th Amendment
Abolishes 16th Amendment. (No income tax.)