2023 – Page 3 – YMCA Texas Youth and Government

Three Candidates Vie for Governor Role

By Piper Watson,
North Central Texas Academy

This year during the seventy-sixth Youth and Government State Conference we have three extraordinary candidates running for the esteemed title of the one and only Youth Governor. Ryan Lee, Vennela Mallampati, and Ramiro Lopez are the confident and talented delegates that are up to the challenge. They each have different strengths and ideas that make them fit the ideal qualifications that we want our Governor to represent the Youth and Government program with.

Being involved in this outstanding organization for six years has given Vennela Mallampati the opportunity to participate in numerous sections of Youth and Government that are offered, from chairing and clerking to writing her own bills. She has also won distinguished delegate five times. She is confident in her knowledge of how Youth and Government operates and how to improve it using her unique outlook on the organization. For Vennela, the utmost substantial issue is that the governor advances independently after the election. Her desire is that the totality of participants from each and every delegation can assist her in portraying the Youth and Government program by bringing about a Governor’s advisory board to aid in planning the district and state conferences, food, and to voice any concerns that require setting up invitationals and workshops. Vennela believes “currently the biggest issue is that the governor works alone once they get elected and I wanna change that because I think that it’s incredibly important to get the people’s voices here like the youth in youth in government and so to do that I want to create a governors advisory board where somebody from each delegation. They would elect a representative to help me out if I win next year and give me input on district and state planning, food of course, and especially on what they need help on so we can plan invitationals and workshops.”

Ramiro Lopez has had several leadership experiences outside of this program. He was an advisor for the San Antonio Independent School District superintendent and also interned for United States House Representative Tony Gonzales. He is acquainted with doing hands-on work for the community. Ramiro is promoting increased amounts of hands-on work with all of our delegates from acquiring judges and attorneys for judicial diplomats to obtaining legislators to teach our legislative delegates the paramount and proficient ways to write their bills. Ramiro says that “If elected I would like to get more hands-on work when it comes to our delegates. So when it comes to judicial more judges and attorneys to work hands-on and the same for legislative more legislators to work with them on how to write bills.”

Having partaken in being an ambassador for Youth and Government and also outside of the organization is something that Ryan Lee has extensive familiarity with. He is president of several honor societies and other, smaller clubs. He comes from a smaller county on the outskirts of Houston, so he understands what it is like to be from the smaller delegations. Ryan thinks that “people should vote for me because I do come from a smaller delegation, so I do know what the smaller delegations want and need.” Maintaining and engaging the educational and political aspects of Youth and Government is a vital improvement Ryan would like to accomplish if elected.

All three incredible candidates already have plans on how they will improve our program for the better if they are elected. They all agree on striving to get the smaller delegations to have more voice and to assist them to work more with the larger groups while diversifying their perspectives to be exceptionally prepared for state. Overall these three intelligent and accomplished delegates all have the skills essential to be a successful governor, but only one will be elected to the position. Voting for any of these three brilliant and gifted individuals will reinforce and ensure that our Youth and Government program is properly represented and will flourish in the years to come.

Gubernatorial candidates Vennela Mallampati (L), Ryan Lee (C), and Ramiro Lopez (R).

Emily White Fights for Justice with her Rigid Firearms Bill

By Spandana Palyam,
Liberal Arts and Science Academy

“Fifteen years ago, if someone walked down the street with a gun, we would have been shocked and everyone would have been calling the police. But things are different now,” legislator Emily White claims. On March 3, Emily White proposed Senate Bill 62 to demand the ban of high-capacity semi-automatic rifles in large public spaces.

Senate Bill 62 states that carrying a long barrel firearm is strictly prohibited in large city public spaces (except for hunting). If caught, the offender will be charged with a third degree felony. White stated that even though a third-degree felony “is quite harsh,” it is necessary to motivate the public to create a safer environment. “The right to bear arms is a constitutional right that was made for citizens to be able to overthrow unjust governments. Will one person with a weapon in a public space overthrow an unjust government?” White questioned.

While this bill bans long barrel firearms, short barrel ones would still be legal to carry. This bill also does not limit the amount of guns that can be purchased or note that it’s prohibited to own a long barrel gun; only that long barrel guns cannot be carried in public spaces.

Though most legislators were in favor of this proposal, one believed the punishment was too harsh. Fellow legislator Emory Eldredge immediately challenged this assertion by exclaiming that she “wouldn’t feel safe having someone who has strapped a gun at a public place like Walmart.” All around the room, it was agreed that it was better to be safe than sorry.

White believes that this bill is not only necessary for Americans today but also future generations. “This issue personally matters to me, because I think in our culture, we’re really seeing the effects of gun violence on our children and just in our society as a whole.”

Weapons in public spaces have repeatedly shown danger. Over 44,000 Americans were killed due to gun violence in 2022 and catastrophes like the Uvalde shooting have left Americans questioning their safety. White believes that with stricter policies, safety will increase in the public.

“My goal here is just a first step in initiative. The goal of my bill is to ultimately decrease gun violence and the public usage in Texas of these weapons,” White said.. The committee ended with a majority vote towards recommending the bill for Senate action.

Delegate Emily White monitors debate on Senate Bill 62