[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5269]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       ESSAY BY KANIKA DRAKSHARAM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 27, 2016

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to interact with some of the 
brightest students in the 22nd Congressional District who serve on my 
Congressional Youth Advisory Council. I have gained much by listening 
to the high school students who are the future of this great nation. 
They provide important insight from across the political spectrum that 
sheds a light on the concerns of our younger constituents. Giving voice 
to their priorities will hopefully instill a better sense of the 
importance of being an active participant in the political process. 
Many of the students have written short essays on a variety of topics 
and I am pleased to share them with my House colleagues.
  Kanika Draksharam attends Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas. 
The essay topic is: Select an important event that has occurred in the 
past year and explain how that event has changed/shaped our country.

       Amid a flood of controversy in June 2015, the U.S. Supreme 
     Court overturned a longstanding controversial law. Five 
     justices affirmed LGBT American's Constitutional right to 
     wed, leading to many changes for not only those who supported 
     the bill, but the entire country as well. Undoubtedly, in the 
     past year, the legalization of same sex marriage has brought 
     many differences to the United States, and has helped shaped 
     us into a more accepting country.
       The legalization of same sex marriage has brought various 
     economic benefits in addition to the obvious social ones. Due 
     to the law being passed by Congress, the economy has seen a 
     sudden boost. Take New York for example; whose economy was 
     boosted by over two and a half million dollars due to same 
     sex marriage couples being able to get married in state. 
     Since the law being passed, marriage license fees, local 
     celebrations, and wedding related purchases, have contributed 
     greatly to the economy. We can see that this law has helped 
     our economy in a positive manner, which is a good change our 
     country required. The income being brought in by this new 
     change is aiding in curbing the economic deficit as well. 
     Contributing to this, is also the fact that insurance 
     companies are being used more, since people are able to 
     utilize the advantages of being married that these companies 
     provide. Additionally, the passing of this law raises tax 
     revenues by bringing in between twenty and forty million 
     dollars more than average per year, helping the economy 
     greatly. Fiscal benefits are a large factor in what our 
     economy has gained. The government would have to spend more 
     on Social Security and Employee Health Benefits, but it would 
     actually end up saving money when it the attention is turned 
     to medical health programs, by almost a hundred million 
     dollars. It's clear that passing this law has resulted in 
     positive impacts on the economy.
       Large corporations have advocated for this, making it 
     something that is widely advertised as a positive change in 
     society, going from being condemned in the past. Many of 
     these companies such as Google, Apple, Verizon, Morgan 
     Stanley and Microsoft have recruited people from this 
     community to work for them, sending society an accepting 
     message.
       Marriage equality is a freedom that many groups across 
     American have long strived for in the past. Now that the past 
     year has brought this rightful prospect to our country, it 
     has also brought positive changes for not only them, but all 
     of American as well.

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