Contention Idea Bank

Banning Stock Trading by Congress Members

99%

Prevent Congress members from trading stocks.

Ethics

Government

Finance

Key Insight:

Domestic policy affects millions of Americans

Reduces conflicts of interest in policymaking
Increases public trust in government

Limits financial freedom for lawmakers
Could discourage qualified individuals from serving

Banning Pharmaceutical TV Ads

98%

Stop pharmaceutical advertising on TV.

Advertising

Regulation

Key Insight:

US and New Zealand only allow pharma TV ads

Reduces consumer pressure on doctors for specific drugs
Lowers healthcare costs by reducing marketing expenses

Prohibit creation and distribution of deepfake media.

Limits public awareness of treatment options
Potential First Amendment concerns

Media

Law

Key Insight:

96% of deepfakes are non-consensual pornography

Protects individuals from malicious impersonation
Reduces spread of misinformation

May limit creative and satirical expression
Difficult to enforce and define deepfakes

Voting by Phone in Elections

96%

Allow voters to cast ballots by phone.

Elections

Accessibility

Key Insight:

Domestic policy affects millions of Americans

Increases accessibility for disabled and remote voters
Could boost voter turnout

Security and privacy concerns
Potential for technical failures or hacking

Abolishing the Use of Bail

95%

Eliminate bail in the court system.

Criminal Justice

Bail Reform

Equity

Key Insight:

450k+ people held pretrial due to inability to pay bail

Reduces pretrial detention for low-income defendants
Addresses inequities in the bail system

May increase failure-to-appear rates
Could pose public safety risks if not managed well

Abolishing Plea Bargaining

94%

End plea bargaining in criminal cases.

Criminal Justice

Courts

Due Process

Key Insight:

95% of criminal cases end in plea bargains

Ensures all cases are fully adjudicated in court
Reduces risk of coerced or unjust pleas

Could overwhelm courts with trials
May delay justice for victims and defendants

Remittance Fees for Immigration Reform

Intermediate

93%

Impose fees on remittance transfers to fund immigration reform programs.

Immigration

Finance

Key Insight:

Domestic policy affects millions of Americans

Generates dedicated funding for immigration reform initiatives
Targets remittances as a significant financial flow

Outlaws zoning laws that ban multifamily housing — appeared in 2021 Nationals, 2022 LCQ, and 2024 LCQ.

Could disproportionately impact immigrant families
May encourage use of informal transfer channels

Housing

Urban Policy

Zoning

Key Insight:

75% of residential land zoned single-family only

Promotes housing diversity and affordability
Reduces urban sprawl

Local opposition to zoning changes
Potential for gentrification

Inflation Policy & Interest Rates

Advanced

91%

Directs the Federal Reserve to target inflation using tiered interest rates that account for economic equity.

Monetary Policy

Federal Reserve

Equity

Key Insight:

Federal Reserve targets 2% inflation

Allows for more nuanced economic management
Can address inequities in economic recovery

Outlaws exclusionary single‑family zoning to increase housing density and reduce homelessness.

Complexity may confuse markets
Potential for unintended side effects

Housing

Urban Policy

Zoning

Key Insight:

11M+ Americans spend 50%+ of income on rent

Increases housing supply and affordability
Reduces homelessness and housing insecurity

Invests in digital road infrastructure to fast-track deployment of fully autonomous (Level 4/5) vehicles.

Community resistance to increased density
Potential strain on local infrastructure

Transportation

Infrastructure

Key Insight:

94% of accidents caused by human error

Improves road safety and reduces accidents
Boosts innovation and tech sector jobs

High upfront infrastructure costs
Potential job losses for drivers

Meat & Agricultural Subsidies

88%

Reforms subsidies to prioritize sustainable farming and plant-based agriculture over industrial livestock.

Agriculture

Sustainability

Subsidies

Key Insight:

$38B in agricultural subsidies annually

Encourages sustainable farming practices
Reduces environmental impact of livestock

Considers U.S. development of a reserve digital currency to remain competitive in global finance.

Potential job losses in livestock sector
May increase food prices

Finance

Digital Currency

Global Markets

Key Insight:

60+ countries exploring digital currencies

Maintains U.S. leadership in global finance
Improves transaction efficiency

Risks to financial stability
Potential for privacy concerns

Grants college athletes the right to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) while maintaining eligibility.

86%

NIL for Amateur Athletes

Sports

Labor Rights

Key Insight:

500k+ college athletes eligible for NIL

Promotes fairness for student-athletes
Encourages entrepreneurship and branding

Expands or subsidizes federal insurance coverage in flood-prone regions to combat climate-driven disasters.

May create disparities between athletes
Could commercialize college sports excessively

Insurance

Climate

Disaster Relief

Key Insight:

5M+ properties at risk of flooding

Protects homeowners in high-risk areas
Spreads risk and reduces financial ruin

Methane Pollution Agreement

May incentivize building in risky areas
Costly for taxpayers

International

Advanced

84%

Funds international methane reduction efforts in oil/gas sectors and supports global climate transparency.

Climate

Energy

Transparency

Key Insight:

Methane 25x more potent than CO2

Reduces potent greenhouse gas emissions
Promotes global cooperation on climate

Continues U.S. military and humanitarian aid with greater oversight and performance benchmarks.

Implementation costs for industry
Enforcement challenges across borders

Military Aid

Oversight

Europe

Key Insight:

$75B+ in US aid provided to Ukraine

Supports Ukraine's defense against aggression
Promotes democracy and rule of law

Modifies the U.S.–Japan alliance to support Japan's expanding military role within constitutional limits.

High cost to U.S. taxpayers
Risk of escalation with Russia

International

Advanced

82%

Japan Military Expansion

Alliances

Security

Asia-Pacific

Key Insight:

Japan constitution Article 9 limits military

Strengthens regional security against threats
Shares defense burden with allies

Addresses political crisis through a mix of sanctions, relief efforts, and diplomatic measures.

May provoke regional arms race
Could strain relations with China

Sanctions

Diplomacy

Humanitarian

Key Insight:

7M+ Venezuelans have fled the country

Sanctions can pressure government toward reform
Relief efforts help suffering civilians

Sanctions may worsen humanitarian crisis
Diplomatic efforts may be slow or ineffective

Require vaccinations for public health.

80%

Mandatory Vaccinations

Public Health

Vaccines

Key Insight:

95% vaccination rate needed for herd immunity

Protects community health and herd immunity
Prevents outbreaks of preventable diseases

Provides humanitarian assistance and stabilization aid to address civil unrest and economic collapse.

Concerns about personal freedom and bodily autonomy
Potential for backlash and noncompliance

Humanitarian Aid

Stabilization

Development

Key Insight:

11M+ people affected by political instability

Addresses urgent humanitarian needs
Supports regional stability

Risk of dependency on foreign aid
Potential for mismanagement or corruption

Restore voting rights to felons after sentence completion.

79%

Voting Rights for Felons

Voting Rights

Criminal Justice

Reintegration

Key Insight:

5.2M Americans disenfranchised due to felony convictions

Supports reintegration into society
Promotes civic engagement

Reconsiders the U.S. approach to North Korea through targeted sanctions or diplomatic re-engagement.

Some believe certain crimes should permanently bar voting
Potential for political controversy

Sanctions

Diplomacy

Security

Key Insight:

25M+ people under authoritarian rule

Targeted sanctions can pressure regime change
Diplomatic engagement may reduce nuclear risk

Increases educator pay and forgives student loans to address widespread K–12 teacher shortages.

Sanctions may harm civilians more than leaders
Diplomacy could be seen as legitimizing the regime

Labor

Key Insight:

300k+ teacher vacancies nationwide

Attracts and retains qualified teachers
Improves educational outcomes for students

Significant cost to government budgets
May not address non-monetary reasons for teacher attrition

Banning Facial Recognition Technology by Police

78%

Prohibit police use of facial recognition.

Privacy

Law Enforcement

Key Insight:

Domestic policy affects millions of Americans

Protects civil liberties and privacy
Reduces risk of wrongful identification

Expands Medicare coverage to include new obesity drugs and emerging medical alternatives (e.g., vibrating pills).

May hinder legitimate investigations
Could slow adoption of beneficial technology

Medicare

Pharmaceuticals

Key Insight:

42% of US adults have obesity

Improves access to effective obesity treatments
Reduces long-term healthcare costs from obesity-related diseases

High cost of new drugs may strain Medicare budget
Long-term safety and efficacy concerns

Increase foster care support and availability.

77%

Foster Care Availability

Child Welfare

Social Services

Key Insight:

Domestic policy affects millions of Americans

Provides safe homes for vulnerable children
Reduces strain on existing foster families

Requires significant funding and oversight
Potential for inconsistent quality of care

Military Recruitment Shortfalls

76%

Implements incentives and revised standards to meet enlistment targets while maintaining military effectiveness.

Defense

Recruitment

Workforce

Key Insight:

Domestic policy affects millions of Americans

Addresses national security needs
Provides career opportunities for young people

Lowering standards may reduce military effectiveness
Incentives could be costly or unfair

Big Pharmaceuticals Tax and Regulation

76%

Increase taxes and regulation on large pharma companies.

Taxation

Regulation

Key Insight:

Economic policy affects millions of Americans

Raises revenue for public health programs
Encourages fair pricing of medications

Establishes a nationwide safe injection site pilot program to reduce overdose deaths and connect users to treatment.

May reduce investment in research and development
Could increase drug prices for consumers

Public Health

Drugs

Harm Reduction

Key Insight:

100k+ overdose deaths annually

Reduces overdose deaths by providing medical supervision
Connects users to treatment and support services

Require police to wear body cameras.

May be seen as enabling drug use
Potential community opposition to local sites

Law Enforcement

Accountability

Civil Rights

Key Insight:

80% of large police departments use body cameras

Increases transparency and accountability
Provides evidence in investigations

Grants the District of Columbia full congressional representation through statehood.

Privacy concerns for both police and public
High cost of equipment and data storage

Representation

Voting Rights

Federalism

Key Insight:

DC has 700k+ residents without congressional representation

Ensures equal representation for DC residents
Addresses historic disenfranchisement

May require constitutional amendment
Could shift political balance in Congress

Sectoral Bargaining and Ending Minimum Wage

74%

Replace minimum wage with sectoral bargaining.

Labor

Wages

Unions

Key Insight:

Economic policy affects millions of Americans

Allows for tailored wage agreements by industry
Empowers unions and collective bargaining

Enhances federal oversight to reduce contamination and strengthen public trust in the food supply.

Could create wage disparities between sectors
Complex to negotiate and enforce

Health

Regulation

Agriculture

Key Insight:

48M foodborne illnesses annually in US

Reduces risk of foodborne illness outbreaks
Improves consumer confidence in food supply

Increases compliance costs for producers
May slow down food distribution

Eliminating Squatter Laws

73%

Make it easier to remove squatters from properties.

Property Rights

Law

Housing

Key Insight:

1.2M+ squatter cases filed annually

Protects property owners from unlawful occupation
Reduces legal costs and delays

Caps emergency price increases during crises to protect consumers during natural disasters or pandemics.

May harm vulnerable populations with nowhere to go
Could lead to abuses by landlords

Consumer Protection

Emergency

Economics

Key Insight:

Price gouging affects 60% of consumers during crises

Prevents exploitation of consumers during emergencies
Helps maintain access to essential goods

May discourage suppliers from bringing in more goods
Could lead to shortages if prices can't adjust

Defunding For-Profit Charter Schools

72%

Remove public funding from for-profit charter schools.

Funding

Key Insight:

15% of charter schools are for-profit

Ensures public funds support public education
Reduces profit motives in education

Limits school choice for families
Could disrupt existing schools and students

Universal Healthcare Implementation

Intermediate

71%

Comprehensive analysis of single-payer healthcare systems and their economic impacts.

Economics

Key Insight:

Domestic policy affects millions of Americans

Reduces overall healthcare costs
Provides universal coverage

High government expenditure
Potential for longer wait times

National Peptide Database

71%

Create a national peptide research database.

Science

Research

Key Insight:

50k+ peptides identified for research

Accelerates biomedical research and innovation
Improves collaboration among scientists

Institute a four-day school week nationwide.

High cost to establish and maintain
Privacy and data security concerns

Labor

Key Insight:

560+ school districts use four-day weeks

Reduces costs for school districts
May improve teacher and student well-being