Photo by Matt de Simone
By Matt de Simone
James River High School students recently completed their participation in the 76th Model Virginia Assembly presented by the Virginia YMCA April 16-18. This year’s program took place at the Hilton Conference Center in Richmond.
James River had six students participating in this year’s program. Ethan Spickard served as a member of the Executive Staff of the Youth Governor, Zachary Vernon and Silas Miller served as a co-bill patrons, Tim Wilson served as a Chamber delegate on the Counties, Cities, Towns Committee, and Kaeli Berry and Sarahgrace Laughridge served as lobbyists. Del. Terry Austin and his wife, Kathy, took the students and their advisor, Kit Williams, through a tour of the capitol while they were in town for the MGA.
The Model General Assembly (MGA) program was established in 1948 and is designed to introduce high school students to the legislative process of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Legislation is debated in committees and on the floors of the actual Virginia Senate and House of Delegates. Participating students represent grades 9-12, with limited roles for 9th graders. Participants can assume the roles of senator, delegate, officer, lobbyist, reporter, or underclassmen legislator.
Virginia state legislature receives a report following MGA learning more about the leanings of the younger generation.
Each club or school group submit at least one and no more than five bills along with their registration. The Virginia YMCA encourages the patrons of the bill to discuss the bill with a current or former state legislator during the program. All bills should reference the Code of Virginia or the Constitution of Virginia and should be thoroughly researched. Some of the bills presented fall on the topics of education reform, abortion, family life curriculum, and voting restrictions, to name a few.
The students submit their bills (for their respective committees) from a list provided by YMCA which they receive a couple of months prior to the MGA. When the bill comes up in committee, students read their bill, explain the bill, and the students are then grilled with questions pertaining to the bill by other members of the student-run committee. Following the session, a legislative assistant will come in and sit down with the students critiquing the questions and answers proposed during session and offering any additional advice.
“As soon as the bill book came out online, we kind of hit the ground running with work,” junior Ethan Spickard explained. “To be able to save time once we actually get to the conference, we have to make ballpark decisions of what we’re going to do… Everyone in the executive offices got delegated to research pros and cons and things that could be changed in amendments to bills to make it better. Our main role was to be able to talk to (patrons) so that all their ideas are fully realized to give them the best shot to get everything passed.”
This was James River’s fourth year participating in the program. River’s participating students noted that the program is not affiliated with any political parties. James River secured donations from Botetourt’s Republican and Democratic Committees for their participation in the MGA.
Spickard explained that during the weekend a lot of the students’ time is spent reviewing bills. If bills were changed during session, they have to adapt to ensure that those changes were made for the better, while constantly adapting to the changes. Spickard was nominated for CONA (Committee of National Affair), which takes two students in 35 out of 50 states. Out of the 500 students who attended this year’s Virginia MGA, 20 students were nominated. This year’s CONA conference takes place in Black Mountain, N.C. at the end of June.