About Youth and Government
Legislative
An effective way to learn the process of Parliamentary Procedure
along with how bills are passed through the two Legislative chambers
is by becoming a Senator or Representative.
Each Representative and Senator must write, draft, and submit a bill, either with a bill partner
or as a sole sponsor of the bill. Each bill has to be
submitted no later than March 13, 2008, or else it will not be
put on the docket for the conference in April. During the session there
will be timed introductions, debate, pro & con speeches, and conclusions.
Each school will be offered to propose one Joke Bill. Joke Bills will be debated at a
separate time, usually before lunch and before the session closes for the day.
Persons submiting a Joke Bill must also submit a serious one, as well. You are able
to amend your bill during its debate. If your bill is passed through all of its
Committees and both Chambers, it will be sent
to the Governor’s desk to be discussed with his or her cabinet,
eventually being either signed into law or vetoed. The only way a vetoed bill can
become law is if the Legislature overrides the Governor's signature and two-thirds
majority of both chambers re-pass it. The Senate will
be overseen by the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House
will oversee the House of Representatives.
Judicial
The Supreme Court is one of the activities available for Youth & Government students who are
interested in law and the judicial branch of the government. The New Mexico YMCA Supreme Court
program focuses on appellate law, a form of law that results from an appeal, which does not retry
the case or examine new evidence, but instead examines the propriety of the law and procedures
used in the case. Because of the limited nature of this review, the issues raised on appeal are
significantly different from those that are raised at trial.
Students must pick a partner from their school, or request one from the Chief Justice in order to
participate as a lawyer in the Supreme Court program. Lawyer pairs must choose one of two fictional
cases, study the case law (previous Court cases that address similar issues) pertaining to the case,
and prepare written briefs prior to the Legislative Session. Both the cases and the case law will be
available on the Youth & Government website January 2008. Briefs should be written for both sides of
the case, “FOR” and “AGAINST,” as students will be expected to argue both sides during the Session;
the actual side will not be assigned until students arrive in the Court to orally argue their case.
The Chief Justice, a student with solid experience in law, will preside over the Supreme Court along
with four additional justices, who also have previous experience in the program. Once both teams have
argued their sides of the case, the panel of Justices will render a decision and give constructive
critiques of each team and their argument. At the end of the session, the Justices will decide which
team presented the best oral argument and which team composed the best written brief.
Arguing and presenting a case requires much time and effort, specifically in regard to reading and
examining case law; however, participating in the Supreme Court not only refines a student’s speaking
skills and enhances his or her critical thinking abilities, but it also develops an understanding for
and awareness of the government’s judicial system. Students interested in being in the Supreme Court
should ask his or her advisor for further information. Students interested in serving as Chief Justice
at the 2009 Session must have a solid experience with law, such as involvement in mock trial, student
law, etc, and must have previously participated as either a lawyer or Justice in the Supreme Court.
Students wishing to serve as a Justice must also have previous experience in legal activities, including
Youth & Government’s Supreme Court program. If interested, students should apply when they first
register for Youth & Government, or ask his or her advisor for the application before March 9, 2008.
Applications are also available on the Youth & Government website.
The Supreme Court will also on occasion hear any legal challenges or questions that arise in the
Legislature during the session. Any legal questions can be brought to the Chief Justice by the
Attorney General, or any other Youth & Government participant.
Executive
Each year, any delegates of the Youth and Government program are able to run in office elections
held by the Secretary of State. There are five positions open for running and voting
from the general assembly, including: Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, Secretary of State,
and Attorney General. The other officer positions are voted on by their specific chambers. The Chief Justice
is appointed by the previous Chief Justice and the Forum chairs, Editor-in-Chief, and Video Producer
are determined by their branches.
Running delegates participate in a Candidate Forum & Debate and Governor's Cabinet & Press Conference
before the voting in the Rotunda during the third day of the conference. Election results are announced during
the Closing Session.
Press
Youth and Government exhibits a branch dedicated to students who are interested in the happenings of the Press. There are two major subgroups of the Press: the Newspaper Press ("Delegates Daily") and the Video Press. Students interested in the Press Corps must have at least a basic knowledge of how to gather information, write unbiased articles, edit, and use computers. This year, the Co-Chief Editors will be accepting applications to be in the Press Crops. You will need to have some experience with the subjects previously stated, although new and interested students are always welcome. Students will normally be assigned one or two stories a day to write and research, with deadlines staring in the middle afternoon to late in the evening. Students will be covering stories over bills, different cabinets, election candidates, and other happenings during the conference. Also, the Video Press is in charge of creating a video of the conference to be aired at the Governor's Banquet.
Forum
The Forum, although not an area of the state government, is made up of students who work to explore one important and concerning issue facing New Mexico. This small Committee researches the main issues, creates an action plan, and presents its results to the general assembly on the final day of the conference. This plan must explore all aspects of the issue, identify the problems involved, and propose plausible solutions.
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