Dream Act Bipartisan legislation first introduced in Congress in 2001 (formally known as Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Has been reintroduced several times but failed to pass Aimed to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented children who grew up in the United States Some states have passed their own immigration legislation Adapted from http://college.usatoday.com/2015/02/26/5-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-dream-act/

Pros Provides hope Contributes to economy Provides path to citizenship Generate more tax revenues Cons Undeserving of rights and privileges Influx of illegal immigration Empowers those that broke the law Unfair to those that complied with law Lower need of higher education

Patriot Act Passed after 9/11 terrorist attacks and represents the swift reaction of the executive and legislative branches in the wake of the deadliest terrorist strike on American soil Gave law enforcement and intelligence authorities unprecedented domestic authority -- and the tools to wield that authority -- to stop plots against the United States Government can petition the court for a warrant to collect "any tangible things" to investigate terrorism or foreign spies Government can no longer conduct bulk collections of Americans’ telephone records and Internet data (banned by the USA Freedom Act passed in 2015) Limits the government’s data collection to the “greatest extent reasonably practical” Adapted from http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/politics/patriot-act-debate-explainer-nsa/

Pros Ease of surveillance Assists law enforcement Speeds up investigations Increases security measures Expanded intelligence collection Prevent attacks more quickly Cons Too much authority given to government Unlawful imprisonment Unlawful detainment Not clearly defined Leads to fear and hostility

McCain-Feingold Act Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act passed in 2002 Prohibited large contributions by wealthy individuals and corporations to national party committees Left individual and corporate donors free to direct their funds to outside groups Provisions of the legislation were challenged as unconstitutional Adapted from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/mccain-feingolds-devastating-legacy/2014/04/11/14a528e2-c18f-11e3-bcec-b71ee10e9bc3_story.html?utm_term=.6c8e81e8e58a

Pro The public knows where funds come from Cons Corruption might not be reduced There are loopholes

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) Passed in 2010 Law that makes healthcare and health insurance more affordable and more available to more Americans. Places new rules and regulations on the healthcare industry Adapted from http://obamacarefacts.com/affordable-healthcare/

Pros More Americans have health insurance Health insurance is more affordable for many people People with pre-existing health conditions can no longer be denied coverage Lower prescription drug costs Cons Many people have to pay higher premiums You can be fined if you don’t have insurance Taxes are going up as a result of the ACA Businesses are cutting employee hours to avoid covering employees

(North American Free Trade Agreement) NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) 1994 agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico Lifted many restrictions on the imports and exports of agricultural products between these three nations Some policies went into effect immediately – others took 15 years to implement Since 2008, all tariffs on agricultural exports between the U.S. and Mexico no longer exist, and many are eliminated between Canada and Mexico

Pros NAFTA Decreased Tariffs All Three Countries Experienced Real Wage Increases NAFTA Increased Trade Between the U.S., Mexico and Canada NAFTA Created Jobs for U.S. Workers Cons Mexican Workers Have Benefited Less Than Expected NAFTA Lifted Tariffs but not Regulations Loss of 500,000-750,000 jobs in the United States Job migration suppressed wages