Youth in Government

1. Youth in Government

2. Agenda • Welcome and Introductions • Committee Overview • Committee Work – • Small group work • Mock Committee • Elections of officers • Media section of YIG • Wrap up and Announcements

3. 2012 YIG Officers Governor Mason Owen – SM South Lt. Governor Rebekah Voran – Kingman High Speaker of the House Hannah Sears – SM South President of the Senate Rachel Sutcliffe – SM South

5. Kansas Legislature House committees Senate committees

6. Bill Rule #1 • Make sure your bill topic is attempting to create, modify or delete a Kansas State law. If your bill idea deals with an issue in which the Federal government has jurisdiction or is a state resolution (example: changing the state bird, creating a state card game, etc), you should find a different topic. Your sponsors can explain a bit more about jurisdiction.

7. Bill Rule #2 • You may not submit a bill that is substantially similar to a bill that was passed in the previous program year. If you submit a resolution, a bill for a Federal law or one that is too similar to a passed bill from the previous year, you will be asked to start over.

8. Your bill will be placed in one for the YIG committees Education Children, Family, Aging and Animal Welfare Health, Safety and Social Welfare Transportation and Commerce Environment, Energy, Natural Resources and Agriculture Miscellaneous

9. Education • This is pretty obvious committee. If it happens in education, in a school, is an education program it typically lands here.

10. Children, family, aging and animal welfare • Can be a bit ambiguous • Think well-being of children, the elderly and animals • Marriage laws or amendments would fall here

11. Health, Safety and Social Welfare Examples: • Health care • Safety issues (non transportation) • Community care • Parks • Housing for low income • State assistance • Employment • Pensions for state employees

12. Transportation and Commerce • Highways and Roads • Laws (i.e. speed limits) • Trade • Transportation safety

13. Environment, Energy and Natural Resources

14. Miscellaneous • Things that do not fit into any of the previous categories.

15. Some bills could easily be place in more than one of the committees. • Take a minute and self determine where you think your bill might best be represented and “make it out of committee.”

16. Committee Assignments Are based on what your bill is about. Take into account • Balance of committee membership • Leadership chosen for committee • Strength of your bill

17. Bill card FRONT SIDE Your Name School Working title of your bill One or two sentences explaining bill Committee you think it belongs in or could belong in

18. Bill Card BACK SIDE • Your name • Email address

19. The Committee • This is where most of the work of law making takes place.

20. What happens in committee ? • You have the opportunity to present your bill for committee consideration • Discuss the pros and cons of key issues • Amend and draft a bill on each issues as a group through debate and make each piece of proposed legislation ready for presentation in the Legislative session.

21. Be prepared • Have evidence to support your bill… • Use argumentation over persuasion • Argumentation based on fact with evidence to support it. • Persuasion has emotional appeal

22. Think like your opponent • What defense will you have? • Be prepared with answers to potential questions. • Anticipate what others might refute

23. Most bills die in committee • Those that pass will then be prioritized and go to the calendar committee.

24. Make alliances • Who on your committee and contingency can speak in favor of your bill? • Find supporters in other contingencies

25. Basic breakdown of Committee work in Topeka Rules of Debate for a Bill • Reading of the bill • Authorship speech (2 minutes). This is where you convince your committee of the importance of your bill. Do your research!

26. Questions of the author (90 seconds - - read the bills before committee) • Negative Speech (1 minute max) • Affirmative Speech (1 minute max) • Final Author summary • Vote (called for by the committee chair) Yeas v. Nays

27. Bills to the House or the Senate • Most bills will die in committee • Some will be amended • Bills will be prioritized and then sent to the calendar committee for presentation to the Committee of the Whole

29. Committee Leadership • Chairman – Must have prior YIG experience. Interest and recommendation of sponsors. • Vice Chairman – Must be a Jr. Interest and recommendation of sponsors. • Clerk • Sgt. Of Arms

30. Committees Committee Chairman There will be a committee chairman and a co-chairman. Both need to be familiar with the committee process. (will also meet with Deb) Oversee all committee hearing activity Serve on calendar committee

31. Committee Clerk Assist with the reading of bills, filling in appropriate forms Assists chairman with procedure Is selected in Topeka by the committee members

32. Sgt. At Arms Assist Chairman in maintaining order and decorum Keep time Remove any member of the committee as sanctioned by the Chairman Is selected in Topeka by the Committee

34. Type into the template and SAVE • Type into each section and then hit return. Be sure you number each section:Section I, Section II, Section III, etc. • The last section should be WHEN the bill should go into effect.

35. Youth in Government Bills • Your bill must be submitted electronically in final form prior to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 9thNo exceptions. • You will receive a confirmation that your bill has been received. • You can send your bill in sooner. • Bill template can be obtained at http://www4.smsd.org/deborahbrown/

36. Youth in Government Bills • Make sure that your document is Word compatible. • Bill template can be obtained at http://www4.smsd.org/deborahbrown/

37. Check over your work and ask for feedback. • You will have an additional opportunity to make adjustments to your bill before the bill due date. • Other participants will provide you with feedback during tonight’s pre-legislative meetings.

38. Committee work tonight • Small groups • Read through bill explain briefly. Entertain questions that will help you refine your bill. • Listeners – provide good feedback to help make the bill better. This is NOT the time to tear the bill down…. Build it up.

39. Depending on the number in your group • Split into groups of 3 or 4 for the reading, explanation and feedback period.

40. Review the committee procedures • Packets • Veteran YIG will lead the mock committee

41. Mock Committee exercise • Use the Committee guidelines to “walk through” a bill from • Reading • Procedures • Voting

42. Procedure in committee

43. Amending in Committee

44. Simulated Committee meeting • Transportation and Commerce (251) • Education (111) • Public Health and Social Welfare (A) • Natural Resources, Environment, Energy and Agriculture (106) • Children, Families and Aging (108) • Miscellaneous (114)

45. SampleCommittee Report

46. Madam or Mister • Mister Speaker • Madam President • “My worthy fellow Senator” • “My esteemed House colleague” • “I yield my remaining time to Representative…” • “I move that we……adjourn for lunch” • “Call for the Question” “the Question has been called” • Yea or Nay

47. YIG Leadership • Committee Chairs • Elected officials – Schools elect a nominee from each of their buildings • Appointed positions (made by YIG Director and by Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker and President for 2012). Leadership packet and application Application due to Deb by November 5th

48. Primary Election done in buildings • Governor (must be a SR. next year) • Lt. Governor • Speaker of the House • President of the Senate • Must be serious candidates! Juniors this year. • Short speeches at the next meeting. One from each school. Speeches one minute. • Two candidates from SMSD for each office

49. YIG media section • New for 2012 • Doug Berkel, YMCA

50. Youth in Government Bills • Your bill must be submitted electronically in final form prior to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 9thNo exceptions. • You will receive a confirmation that your bill has been received. • You can send your bill in sooner. • Bill template can be obtained at http://www4.smsd.org/deborahbrown/