Izzy Lott

Senate A
03/30/15
To my constituents,
The following are my reasons for voting as I did on bills that were brought to the floor of
the Senate on March 25th and 26th of 2015.
I voted yea on Senate A Bill 1 that states that the US will ease economic sanctions on Iran
if they destroy their nuclear capabilities. If Iran agrees to this plan, the US and the UN will assist
in destroying all nuclear facilities, and have the ability to check up on Iran if there is reasonable
doubt that the country is going against the agreement. In this way, the US and UN will have the
assurance that Iran will fulfill its promise to depose of its nuclear capabilities. The bill would
dissipate Irans destructive power, and through that ease the national security tensions between
Iran and the US, and hopefully lead to better relations between the countries.
I did not vote in favor of Senate A Bill 2 to place North Korea on the State Sponsors of
Terrorism list. To begin with, North Korea doesnt fit the requirements of a State Sponsor of
Terrorism. The North Korean government has not been involved with an act of international
terrorism in over a year. Many of my fellow Congress members believe that North Koreas attack
on SONY was terrorism, but our very own President stated that it was an act of cybervandalism and not terrorism. One of the main points of placing a country on the State Sponsors
of Terrorism list is to increase economic sanctions on that country, but North Korea is under so
many sanctions already, they would not be affected. There is no point in angering a country with
which our relations are already tense if nothing new will come of the action.
I voted in favor of Senate A Bill 3, along with 35 other members of the Senate.
Senate A Bill 3 stated that the US would nationally recognize and help to create both Palestinian
and Israeli states in Israel. Hamas would also have to publicly repudiate terrorism by 2017. The
penalty for either group refusing peace talks would be a lessening of financial support from the

Izzy Lott
Senate A
03/30/15
US, which has significant influence as both Israel and Palestine rely heavily on the monetary
assistance. The original bill stated that land would be split evenly between both states, but I
voted in favor of an amendment that stated that the specific division of the land would be
negotiated in peace talks with both Israel and Palestine. I agreed with this clarification, as it is
not the place of the US to decide what an appropriate division of land is based on previous lines
and holy land. As a whole, this bill would work to create peace in Israel, and by doing so save
lives and protect valuable oil in the region.
I voted yea on Senate A Bill 4 to protect the US against ISIL. The bill permits the US
military to act against ISIL if there is a clear and present danger posed that threatens the safety of
the US or its citizens. Many of my colleagues believed that the US could take down ISIL with
covert ops, but that simply isnt the truth. The US government does not have enough intelligence
on the key leaders of ISIL, or where the group is organized. For this reason, I believed that the
best thing to do would be to give our military the right of way to continue with airstrikes and
begin ground fighting if necessary. However, the bill changed after it went through conference
committee to make it so that the US could not put boots on the ground to fight ISIL. I voted in
favor of the change, as war in the Middle East has proven unsuccessful before, and ground troops
is a reckless movement in the wrong direction to battle ISIL terrorism.
I also voted yea for Senate A Bill 5, which referenced US actions in Ukraine. According
to the bill, the US government would continue providing the Ukraine with humanitarian aid and
begin providing nonlethal defensive weapons for the purpose of quelling insurgency and creating
a stable democracy. This would assist Ukraine in its efforts to stay an independent state without
provoking Russia to increase its own military actions in the region. Lethal weapons would push
Russia to more violent and direct actions in the Ukraine. Humanitarian aid and nonlethal

Izzy Lott
Senate A
03/30/15
defensive weapons are good ways of fulfilling our duties as protectors and allies of the Ukraine
while staying out of a war with Russia.
Finally, I voted in favor of Senate A Bill 6 to lift parts of the embargo on Cuba
every four months as long as the Cuban government demonstrates positive change based on
evaluations made by the Secretary of State. The embargo has yet to create any change in Cuba
after more than half a century, and for that reason it is outdated. By lifting segments of the
embargo, the US can aid Cuban citizens who are at a lack of medicines and communications,
while still influencing humanitarian policies in Cuba. By lifting the embargo, the US and Cuba
can create a more positive relationship. In a conference committee with Senate B, the bill was
amended to read every six months rather than four, to allow the Cuban government more time to
implement new, progressive policies before negotiations with the Secretary of State.
I will continue to serve you, my constituents, and the United States
in our foreign policy goals in later implementation of the bills that were voted on.

Thank you,
Senator Izzy Lott