Yesterday morning, I had the great honor to work with the 6th Grade Students at Elm Street Elementary in Mechanic Falls on their own 6th Grade Mock Legislature.
Appointing each student a member of the House of Representatives for the day, we walked through the process of how a bill becomes a law.
The class got to vote to select a proposal to see through the legislative process, choosing between three suggestions from randomly selected students:
- Restoring firearms rights to non-violent felons.
- Repealing seatbelt requirements for adults over 18.
- Allowing 12 year olds to work part-time jobs.
The 6th Grade House of Representatives selected Proposal Three.
Rep. Boaz, the bill sponsor, presented LD 1, "An Act to Allow 12 Year Olds to Work Part-Time Jobs," to the 6th Grade Committee on Labor, Research and Economic Development (LCRED) where it received a strong 9-2 vote in favor of passage.
After the committee issued its report, the legislation reached the House of Representatives where there was intense debate with strong arguments for and against.
Proponents argued the benefits of the legislation, asserting that working part-time would help 12-year-olds learn responsibility, the value of a dollar and future job skills.
Opponents argued that such a policy could be abused by parents, forcing their children to work to earn extra family income. They also raised concerns that part-time employment could distract and interfere with schoolwork.
Once debate concluded, it came to a vote. The motion was to accept the committee's "Ought To Pass" Majority Report. The House voted 26-15 in favor of the motion and it went off to the Senate.
The Senate quickly took up the bill and voted 24-11 in favor of its passage, but just as quickly, the Governor vetoed it.
That meant LD 1 came back before the House of Representatives again, but this time needed a 2/3 vote --- not just a simple majority --- in order to override the Governor's veto and guarantee its passage.
With 41 House members present, they needed 28 votes to pass the 2/3 threshold. The House took one more vote, but the numbers didn't change: 26-15.
LD 1, "An Act to Allow 12 Year Olds to Work Part-Time Jobs," fell two votes short of veto override and officially died in the House.
Thank you to 6th Grade teacher, Valerie Young, for inviting me to speak. And this isn't the first time I've enjoyed this opportunity.
Visiting Ms. Young's class of 6th Grade students last year, I ran the same mock House of Representatives exercise with a different student-suggested policy proposal.
That year, the proposal was to allow Maine people to own hedgehogs as pets. After the day was finished, I kept researching the issue and the more I understood it, the more this student's idea seemed like commonsense. So taking her idea, I proposed it in the Maine Senate as LD 35, "Resolve, To Allow the Unlicensed Ownership of Hedgehogs as Pets."
The 6th Graders of Mechanic Falls came up to the State Capitol to testify at the public hearing on their bill, and they made a real difference. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife decided to remove hedgehogs from Maine's exotic species list, allowing them to be owned as pets without any special permitting.
It received quite a bit of local news coverage at the time: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/politics/a-bill-about-hedgehogs-1/385300463
I really do believe that our representative system of government is open to everyone. When I first ran for office at the age of 26, people told me I was too young, but then I won election to the Maine Senate in a 20 point landslide and I have been fighting for the liberties of Maine people ever since.
These young people have their own voices and perspective on issues. And they are wicked sharp.
As an advocate for limited government, I am personally impressed that every policy proposal so far from the 6th graders of Mechanic Falls--- whether that be legalizing hedgehogs or allowing twelve-year-olds to work part-time --- has sought to limit government and restore peoples' freedoms, not the other way around.
That's a sentiment I certainly endorse. All in all, these students made strong arguments in debate, asked great questions and were very engaged in the process. If these are Maine’s future leaders, I’m optimistic we are in good hands.
For Liberty!
Eric Brakey
Upvotes, follows and resteems greatly appreciated.
