The Purpose of MGA By: Tyler Snipes MGA stands for Modern General Assembly. MGA’s purpose is to teach young teenagers the prosses in which a bill is made, debated, passed among the house and senate, and signed. The bill is made by teenagers that want to make an amendment to a current bill and change it to the likings and benefits for more people than it already does. It is debated upon by the bill patron, other members of the house, a delegate, and finally after the debate session is over the lobbyist speaks and tries to persuade the house or senate one way or the other. The bill is passed among the house and senate to try to get everyone or ¾ of the house and senate to agree that the bill should go onto the next level. The bill is signed by being agreed upon by the house and senate and going onto the youth governor and if he thinks the bill is outstanding or good enough to make a chang...
Posts
What to Know About Your New Attorney General? By: Kobe Mora Yes, the ballots are in and the votes are being counted but there is no harm in telling you who you really voted for. As you know the candidates are Remy Butts and Samuel Shoemaker, and as you have seen they are both excellent and graceful speakers. But, those are just prewritten speeches, most of you want to see who and what you are really voting for. Samuel Shoemaker is the more novice candidate but believes he’s got all the skills and ideas to be your Attorney General. He said “I have had many experiences as a leader in my life” including student council Vice President among many others. When asked about his preparations to become Attorney General he said “he has spoken with former Attorney Generals from his school and has learned from their work”. When asked how he would leave a lasting legacy, he said “I will work hard and always shoot to overachieve. He has definitely got the spirit but it is up to the peopl...
Old Dominion House Bill No. 61 By: Morgan Broom The patron from YMCA- Arlington- Yorktown aims to make the teaching of contraceptives mandatory in sex education classes in public schools. During chambers, the speaker made the claim that if this curriculum is added then it will effectively “lower teen pregnancies rates” and make children “aware or their own bodies”. Andrew Garcia spoke to the bill on the chamber floor to agree with the goal of the bill and said that he believes that it will make children “more comfortable with their bodies”. In committee, Mr. Hall, an advisor from Faith Christian School, raised the question whether or not the parent of each child will have the opportunity to remove their child from this class if they desire. The patron responded that “yes parents have the opt out option” if they do not wish for their child to ...
The Bid for Youth Governor By: Jackson Aldridge This year at MGA, there is only one candidate from Old Dominion and one candidate from Commonwealth running for the position of Youth Governor. Rachel Hall, a junior from Faith Christian School is the candidate from Old Dominion. Anna Sexauer, a junior from Broadwater Academy is the candidate from Commonwealth. Even though both candidates had no competition in the primary elections, they had to deliver a speech to their respective teams; however, they went head to head on the second night of MGA in the general elections. Rachel Hall is in her third of MGA and she wanted to run office because she likes to take advantage of each opportunity that comes her way. As youth governor, Rachel would carry out the duties of her role to the “best of [her] ability with God’s help.” Rachel wants to ...
HB8 By: Samantha Lewellen During the education committee today, commonwealth House Bill number 8 was debated. It referred to including a comprehensive sex education curriculum which would include both the advantages and the disadvantages of abortion and adoption for unintended pregnancies rather than teaching abstinence only and was presented by Olivia Babineau. There was an amendment previously made to reincluded a section about teaching the values of waiting until marriage. The patron brought up that abstinence only sex education has not been shown to decrease the likelihood of teenagers having sex or teen pregnancy nor had teaching a comprehensive sex education class encouraged teenagers to have sex. An amendment was proposed by Bradford Dudley to reinsert the line regarding abstinence in the sex education curriculum. There was little opposition to the amendment by committee member other than the patron. ...
Does the Good Outweigh the Bad? By: Rosalind Coolidge Both in California and Colorado, possessing one ounce or less of Marijuana if you are over 21 is legal; so, what’s stopping Virginia? In the Committee Meeting for the pass or fail of Possession of Marijuana (HB4) , attempting to legalize the sale, gift distributing or possession of marijuana, many concerns were presented, however, it passed in Committee, but ultimately failed in Chambers. Two of the most pressing concerns regarding the bill that led to this decision emphasize the issues of safety while driving under the influence (DUI) and the effects it will impose on the economy. In Virginia, the regulations for a DUI of alcohol, Virginia has implemented some of the toughest restrictions in the country. Per the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), “you are legally considered driving or operating under the influence if your blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.08 percent or higher.” In House Bill 4, no such regulation...
Security Guards By: Mikayla Johnson One key aspect of MGA that goes unnoticed, and unappreciated are the security guards. Without the security that we have, we could not have the club anymore. One officer said, “During MGA, we are more relaxed with the metal detectors and checking students bags, but we also have a lot more responsibility with having these kids here.” Another officer said, “Though we are not considered high security, we do make sure we have more than enough security to cover the grounds and keep the kids ad advisors safe.” The last officer said, ”MGA is extremely safe, I do believe however, we need to find a safer way to get the kids from the hotel to the Capitol.” Even though you wouldn't normally think about how the security guards have to be extra alert while we are up here. They aren't thanked nor appreciated enough for their work, so the next time you see a security guard, be sure to thank...