Delegation Resource Manual: Preparing for the Model Legislature
Page 77
YMCA PA Youth & Government Program
CHAPTER 7: Preparing for the Model Legislature
The conference weekend will be the culmination of a delegate’s hard work and dedication.
Everything comes together during this three-day event. This Club will explore important things to
keep in mind during the conference weekend.
Researching and Developing your Bill Topic
1.
Develop a Bill Topic
So you need to develop your own bill topic. How should you do that? Why is that under
research?
Put yourself in the role of the legislator and ask yourself a number of questions:
What issue facing the Commonwealth is important to you? Your bill will get more
support – and more votes – from other student representatives in other parts of the
Commonwealth if the topic matters to them, too.
What are the needs of your constituents? Talk to your family, friends, teachers – find
out what they think is wrong with your town and area?
What interests you or what do you know a lot about? Many legislators write
legislation on issues they care about and issues they know a lot about. After all, you will
need to be able to convince others to vote for it – so if you choose a topic you do not
really care about, how will you be able to sell it to others?
Do you consider yourself a member of a political party or interest group? If there
is an issue that a group you associate with feels is important, you should consider those
issues as possibilities.
Is there a problem you have a solution for? We all have driven down the road, saw a
problem, and said the government should do something about that. Well, you are now
the government – do something about it!
There are other considerations you should keep in mind when researching your topic,
including:
Feasibility – will your idea work?
Impact – who will be helped by your idea – and who will be hurt?
Constitutionality – does it violate either the PA or the US constitutions?
Cost – can the Commonwealth afford to implement this program?
Support – will enough people support your bill that it would be passed by the model
government?
Results – what do you expect to come from your bill?
Review the ranking criteria for the Bill Citation Awards on page 87.
