By: Dylan Nguyen
Woodrow Wilson ECHS

Austin, TX – One of Youth and Government’s four primary departments is the Texas YMCA Youth and Government Legislative. People participate in a legislative body, identify issues, draft bills, debate them, and present them. Legislative members draft a bill and conduct research to refine their performance in front of the conference. To decide which bills will be forwarded to the state, they must pass stringent hearing committees at the District Conference. In these committee hearings, the author of a bill starts with their opening remarks where they have 3 minutes to elaborate on their bill and ultimately persuade delegates to be in favor of the bill. Preceding this, Delegates ask the bill author questions regarding their bill during a short period of question and answer.

Following the Q&A session, the delegates engage in a debate of opposition or agreement. To demonstrate their support for the bill, two delegates speak as proponents and two delegates speak as opponents. The amendment phase follows, during which delegates revise the bill that is already on the table to include any necessary changes. The bill’s author concludes with closing remarks following the Amendment Period, and the caucus votes on whether to move the bill forward or not. If a delegate’s bill makes it to the state conference, the bills are then separated into either House or Senate bills where they then are heard in a first committee, advanced to a chamber, and eventually sent to the Youth Governor.

Q&A with Legislative Delegates

Delegates’ Favorite Part of Being in Legislative:
“Being able to speak and talk on a bill”
-Delegate Truc Le, District 4

Delegate Grayson Carlson, District 3, is a part of the Senate chamber and mentions that “the ability to debate, the fast pace, and procedures of legislative” is what keeps him intrigued.
“Students building bills, doing research, and making solutions to problems”
-Parent Advisor Meg Cotter’lynch

The diversity of thoughts and perspectives in legislative is Delegate Mason Wakefield’s favorite part.
Challenges Legislative Delegates face:
“Growing Confidence”
-Delegate Levi Jenkins, District 3

Forgetting what she was going to say is a big challenge for Delegate Truc Le.
Preparing for questions is a big challenge for delegates, according to Parent Advisor Meg Cotter’lynch.

Tips and Things to Look out for:
“Self-doubt is a big thing to look out for, just believe in yourself”
-Delegate Levi Jenkins
“Don’t be afraid to speak”
“Add value to the committee. don’t go up just to say something”
-Delegate Mabel Cotter
“Preparation is really important”
-Parent Advisor Meg Cotter’lynch
“Just jump into the deep end and dive into it” “It starts scary but you’ll ease into it”
-Delegate Mason Wakerfield