Texas YG Delegates enjoying Kalahari’s water park after a long day of competing

Texas YG Delegates enjoying Kalahari’s water park after a long day of competing

Blog By: Madison T., Glenda Dawson HS

Austin, TX—The debate involved debates on several bills, including House Bill 60, Senate Bill 45, and another bill. House Bill 60, sponsored by Delegate Kennedy, proposes incentivizing hunters to control invasive feral hogs, citing economic benefits and environmental improvements. Opponents, like Delegate Torres, raised concerns about the environmental impact and sustainability of disposing of 4 billion hog bodies. The bill was not passed.

Senate Bill 45, sponsored by Delegate Camaro, aims to regulate K-5 classrooms to improve student academic performance, citing research from the University of Salford and others. The bill includes state funding for repainting schools with lead-free paint, estimated at $30 million. The debate focused on an amendment to Senate Bill 45 that would require 50% of classroom walls to remain uncovered. Hunter proposed the amendment to ensure compliance and ease enforcement. Delegate Cerseior opposed, arguing it infringes on teachers’ decoration rights. The amendment failed to pass. A second amendment allowing alternative claiming color palettes was proposed by Delegate Gilbert, supported by Delegate Speaker 6, who argued it addresses the bill’s rigidity and promotes flexibility. Despite opposition highlighting potential issues with paint longevity and funding allocation, the amendment also failed to pass. The debate emphasized the importance of the classroom environment on student focus and attentiveness. With some delegates arguing for flexibility and others for uniformity. The bill was not passed.

The next debate discussed amendments to a bill requiring a 70% product-to-container volume ratio and airflow protection during transportation. The First Amendment, supported by a majority vote, protects manufacturers from lawsuits and ensures product integrity. The second amendment, rejected by majority vote, introduced a 30-day grace period for first-time violations before penalties apply. The bill aims to prevent deceptive packaging practices by mandating a minimum product content. Proponents argued it promotes transparency and consumer trust, while opponents raised concerns about enforcement, potential price increases, and the impact on small businesses. The bill was not passed.

Caption: Senate Chamber debate

Caption: Senate Chamber debate

Blog by: Alaurya S., Glenda Dawson High School

By: Mercy Otieno

James W. Martin Highschool

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is one full of fasting and prayer. This year, the State Conference lies within its 30 days, so Muslim delegates are able to decide whether or not they want to fast.

Common exceptions for not deciding to fast include: women who are breastfeeding, pregnant, or on their menstrual cycle; children who have not yet begun puberty; individuals with health concerns; and those who are traveling. However, those who choose not to are expected to make up the days they missed before the next Ramadan.

“I’ve made the decision not to fast for the conference because there is constantly so much going on and so much movement, and I wanted my complete and entire focus to be on maintaining my energy for debate,” Muslim delegate Lana Kamel said.

Historically, a majority of women unable to fast often hide the fact that they are eating from others, especially men. However, in 2026, women are beginning to feel less ashamed of their womanhood.

“There are so many women that are actually overcoming that and are choosing to, kind of just be themselves and be the Muslims that they are without letting anybody interfere with that,” Kamel said. “Not fasting does not mean that you are not Muslim; it just means that you are under a different set of circumstances, and the circumstances are always completely valid. And so that applies to traveling, like on this conference, and to Muslims everywhere who are in just different stages of life.”

Even those who aren’t Muslim and don’t participate in Ramadan often feel badly about eating in front of others in an attempt to not be “disrespectful.”

“No, [eating] is nothing to be ashamed of,” Muslim delegate Emma Jusic said. “Fasting is about resisting temptation. You have to resist food, even if, like, people around you are eating.”

Non-Muslims are also scared to ask questions and therefore make untrue assumptions about the festivity, due to a fear of being overbearing. However, unless inspired by crude intentions, there is nothing wrong with making the decision to be informed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt triggered by a question about Ramadan, because I think that if people are curious enough to ask, then it’s more of a sympathetic thing,” Kamel said. “It’s more of a, like, true curiosity than just, like, someone being uninformed, and so I’m always happy to explain that, ‘Yes, it’s even water.’”

At Iftar, the meal at sunset to break the fast, Muslim families have their own traditions, or order as to how they do so, typically drinking water and eating dates.

“Dates are a really big part of our culture and our heritage, and so that’s always been kind of the tradition, and it goes back to, like, the origins of Ramadan. That’s how people broke their fasts [in the past],” Kamel said.

However, Ramadan in its entirety is not about fasting. It’s also about community.

“There are so many communities, especially in Texas, of just, like, the diaspora coming together to have Iftar together,” Kamel said. “[When she began fasting] my parents would do something they called ‘the birds fast.’ So I wouldn’t eat until maybe 3 o’clock, and then when I got hungry, they would make my little meal, and then I’d finish off the day fasting with them.”

Post-COVID, businesses have worked more toward being inclusive of their Muslim consumers, especially with the number of emerging Arab cafés.

“I work at a Muslim-owned coffee shop, and they open at night for their Muslim and Arab community,” Kamel said. “[Overall], this just kind of represents the growth of the Muslim community in DFW over the last decade or so.”