BHB/3/11
Sponsored by Ella Kate Pullen, Elyse Adams, Nora Duncan of Franklin High School
This legislation was filed in the Environment and Conservation category
Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference
| 1 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH LEGISLATURE |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Section 1) Terms in this act will be defined as follows: |
| 4 | Unhoused: Individual or family living in a place not meant for human habitation. Includes people |
| 5 | living on the street, in cars, emergency shelters, transitional housing, hotels and motels paid for |
| 6 | by an organization or government program, or exiting an institution where they temporarily |
| 7 | resided. |
| 8 | Privately Owned: Owned by a private individual or organization, rather than the government, |
| 9 | state, or public entity. |
| 10 | Hot Meal: Food served and eaten during one sitting prepared in accordance with and served at a |
| 11 | palatable temperature range of 110 - 120 F. |
| 12 | Metropolitan Area: A core economic hub containing a large population. |
| 13 | Supervisor: Anyone present who is appointed to the role of overseeing the actions during the |
| 14 | events where the unhoused receive payment and food. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | Section 2) Programs will be established throughout the four biggest cities of Tennessee (Nashville, |
| 17 | Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga as of 2024) to pay unhoused participants to clean up waste |
| 18 | along common, urban areas. These areas shall include places such as public parks and city street |
| 19 | sidewalks. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | Section 3) Unhoused citizens of which choose to participate in the program shall receive $3.50 per |
| 22 | pound of litter collected throughout their local, |
| 23 | metropolitan areas. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | Section 4) Hot meals shall be provided in a public area once a week for those who contribute at |
| 26 | least one pound of waste in the given time period (one week). |
| 27 | |
| 28 | Section 5) Supervisors shall be responsible for weighing each participants’ litter collection for |
| 29 | payment and distribution of meals. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | Section 6) Those who contribute to the establishment of the hot meal program (chefs, supervisors, |
| 32 | organizers) shall receive an hourly payment based on their role for their efforts during each |
| 33 | distribution (depending on number of hours worked and job completion). |
| 34 | |
| 35 | Section 7) Local privately owned homeless shelters are welcome to volunteer or financially support |
| 36 | this course, but it is not required. |
| 37 | |
| 38 | Section 8) Volunteers are encouraged to sort recyclable materials from the participants’ collections |
| 39 | after events occur. |
| 40 | |
| 41 | Section 9) The addition of this legislature will have a cost of $9.5 Million. This money will be used |
| 42 | to increase recycling, and decrease the amount of litter in the specified metropolitan locations. |
| 43 | |
| 44 | Section 10) This will go into effect as soon as January 1, 2025. |
| 45 |