Rhode Island Model Legislature

and You!How to advise a Model Legislature

program in your school

Rhode Island Model Legislature RI State Co-Coordinators

Louise A. Oliveira, Exeter-West Greenwich Regional High SchoolMark K. Gardner, Chariho Regional High School

Rhode Island Model Legislature

and You!How to advise a Model Legislature

program in your school

Introduction to Rhode Island Model Legislature (RIML)

Introduction to Rhode Island Model Legislature (RIML)

• Established in 1947 to provide a hands-on experience in civic government for Rhode Island high school students– Students take on the role of legislators, writing

legislation and using parliamentary procedure to develop their bills from ideas to law

– The culminating activity is Model Legislature Day, held at the Rhode Island State House, usually the last Saturday in March each year, where students reenact a session of the General Assembly

Introduction to Rhode Island Model Legislature (RIML)

• Sponsored by the Rhode Island Social Studies Association– Each advisor gets automatic membership in

RISSA– $100 Participation Fee – to defray cost of

insurance, printing, Capitol Police, etc

Introduction to Rhode Island Model Legislature (RIML)

• Student-centered activity– The kids are the real driving force behind a

model legislature club once they know what they are doing

– New members and underclassmen learn by watching and working with the more experienced students

– Once a Model Legislature club is up and running it is self-perpetuating, even in “rebuilding” years when the club has lost a lot of experience due to seniors graduating

Introduction to Rhode Island Model Legislature (RIML)

• Advisor’s role: facilitator, gadfly and devil’s advocate, agenda-setter, liaison with state-level program, model of gravitas and decorum– Ensure that bills are completed in time for Bill

Collation Day

– Check that bills are formatted correctly and are well-written

– Remind students of Parliamentary Procedure and decorum in committees

Introduction to Rhode Island Model Legislature (RIML)

• Starting a new program –This may appear daunting to the

uninitiated, but there are MANY ways to run a club

–This presentation will take all the mystery out of starting a Model Legislature program in your school!

Model Legislature Calendar

Typical Schedule at State and Club Level1. First Meeting: September

– Make list of student member names & email addresses at first meeting

– Determine party affiliations– Set club meeting schedule

2. Second Meeting through December– Students begin researching & writing bills– Rough drafts of all bills should be submitted to advisors

before the December holiday break– Begin practice with Parliamentary Procedure: mock

committees with old bills3. Leadership Tryouts – October at CCRI Warwick4. November - December: Choosing or Electing Club Delegates

– Senate – smaller, quieter, more dignified– House – bigger, louder, more democratic

5. December: Intro to Leadership meeting at CCRI Warwick– RISSA Participation fee due

Typical Schedule at State and Club Level

6. January – March: Leadership training CCRI Warwick– Robert’s Rules & Committee Chair Practice– Submit finished bills to Google Docs Bill

Collation – Distribution of bills statewide via Google Docs

7. February – March: Club Level Committee Practice– Form practice committees using this year’s bills

from Google Docs– Lobbyists practice their pitch for Committee Day

8. Caucus and Committee Day (Last Wednesday of March - location TBA)9. Rhode Island Model Legislature – State House, last Saturday of March 2015

Module I

Starting a Club:

Recruitment, Expectations and

Identifying Political Affiliations

Paper-and-Pen Version of Form

Content migrating to Google Docs

Political Parties

• Conservative Party• Liberal Party

– Students in your club need to figure out their political leanings

– Discussion, handouts (next slide)– Online Tests:

• http://www.politicaltest.net• http://www.politicalcompass.org/test • http://time.com/510/can-time-predict-your-politics• http://www.people-press.org/2011/05/04/beyond-red-vs-blue-the-political-typology • In a real hurry: http://theadvocates.org/quiz/quiz.php

Falcone, Classifying Viewpoints

Module II

Selecting Bill Topics

and Proper Bill Format

Researching Bills

• Remind students the limits of state-level legislation and concepts of Federalism– discuss concurrent & reserved powers vs.

enumerated/delegated powers

• Ideas: Brainstorm state/local issues

• Ideas: Newspapers / RI news websites

• Ideas: RIML bills from past years

Legislation: Categories and CommitteesHEW

Considers matters relating to health, education, and welfare

LaborHas jurisdiction over worker safety, wages, benefits, hours of labor,unions, and employer-employee relationships

FinanceSets tax, trade, banking policies, state bonds and borrowing policies

JudiciaryHas jurisdiction over matters relating to criminal law, selection of judges and the court system

CorporationsHandles legislation concerning insurance, banking, real estate, and other corporate entities and issues

Special LegislationIs all other legislative initiatives that do not fit into any of the aforementioned categories

Packets!

An Act to Increase the Safety of Public Shopping MallsIntroduced by the Honorable Representative Rachel Nunes

Section I:Suicide: the intentional taking of one's own life.Open-air Shopping Mall: any mall with upper floors which are open to an atrium or courtyard below, separated only by an approximately waist high guardrail.

Section II:All open-air public shopping malls will be required to erect Plexiglas barriers above all railings for any floors above the second story so that the total height of the railing and barrier is at least six (6) feet, making it impossible for any person to climb over said barrier and subsequently commit suicide by jumping off the railing to the courtyard below.

Section III:Any mall which does not cooperate within one (1) year of its effect will be fined no more than one thousand (1,000) dollars. If the new safety measures are not put into place within two (2) years of the bill’s effect, there will be imposed a fine of no more than five thousand (5,000) dollars. If the barriers are not installed within five (5) years of effect, the mall will be shut down until they are put into place.

Section IV:This bill will take effect one (1) year after passage, giving any preexisting malls a total of two (2) years to perform any necessary construction before any adverse consequences occur.

Section V:No known legislation disputes this bill, but if there is this bill shall render it void.

Section VI:Suicide in public areas is a large threat to other faultless shoppers who happen to be around the person who chooses to take their life. A person who is jumping from such a great height has no control over where they land, meaning that they could injure those below them by accidentally landing on top of them. In addition, anyone who bears witness to such an event could very easily be traumatized or otherwise emotionally compromised. Installing these barriers would make it nearly impossible for anyone to climb over it, as well as preventing falling or other such accidents.

Paper-and-Pen Version of Form

Content migrating to Google Docs

Module III

Creating Club Leadership

and Developing State Leaders

Leadership tryouts (October – November)

• Leadership Positions– President of the Senate– Speaker of the House– Conservative Leader: House & Senate– Liberal Leader: House & Senate– Conservative Whip*: House & Senate– Liberal Whip*: House & Senate– Senate and House Committee Chairs– Clerks (2)

* A whip in the House of Representatives or Senate is a member of the party leadership who comes second in line after the party's floor leader. The whip ensures that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires.

Standing Committees

House– HEW– Labor– Finance– Judiciary– Corporations– Special Legislation

Senate– HEW– Labor– Finance– Judiciary– Corporations– Special Legislation

• Each Committee requires a chairperson• If not enough qualified students apply overall, committees and legislation may be combined• If more than enough qualified students apply overall, students may be appointed as alternates

Students bring this form (filled-out) to Leadership Tryouts

Leadership tryouts (October – November)

• Form #2 filled out• (Extemporaneous Speech – currently on hiatus)• Interview by panel of advisors

– Question applicants: political ideas, past RIML involvement and bills authored, other leadership experience, position sought

• Commitment to program & attending leadership training – RIML training must come FIRST over other activities scheduled

at same time (sports, jobs, etc)– Upperclassmen with past RIML experience take priority over the

younger/less experienced for position of whips, leaders, Speaker and President

– Exceptionally motivated underclassmen can try out; if they impress the Leadership Selection Committee they may get a position!

Leadership Information• Leadership members are automatically “in”

the House or Senate– If you have members trying out for leadership,

wait for your club to choose House Reps and Senators until after Leadership Tryouts.

• Leadership can introduce legislature after the Bill Collation Day deadline

• Leadership meetings will take place in a “central location” – last year, met at CCRI Knight Campus in Warwick

Rhode Island

General Assembly

Rhode Island

General Assembly

RI House ofRepresentatives

75 SeatsLeader: Speaker of the House

RI House ofRepresentatives

75 SeatsLeader: Speaker of the House

RI Senate

38 SeatsLeader: President of the Senate

RI Senate

38 SeatsLeader: President of the Senate

Choosing Delegates for RIML

Choosing Delegate through Elections: Senator, Representatives

• Alternative: Advisor appoints delegates • Provide background on each chamber:

• Senate – smaller group, tends to be quieter, more “dignified”

• House – large group, tends to be louder, more “democratic”

• Student Campaign Speeches• 3 minutes each

– Explain basis for their political philosophy– Lay-out their legislative agenda– Be persuasive! Why will they make a difference?

• Election• Runner’s up – should become your alternates

Paper-and-Pen Version of Form

Content migrating to Google Docs

Other Positions • Lobbyist: speaks on behalf of bills before committee

delegates; the number of lobbyists from each school is unlimited. (NB: Lobbyists are not allowed to speak during party caucus or Model Legislature)

• Clerk: assistants in each chamber and from each committee during Model Legislature; general record keepers

• Page: assistants in each chamber during Model Legislature; carry messages, amendment forms, etc. Training ground for individual without prior Model Legislature experience

• Sheriff: 1 per chamber; responsible for maintaining peace and order and to make announcements

Leadership Training: How To Chair a Committee

• Chair calls for order, reads title of bill, gives committee two minutes to read bill

• Chair opens discussion “The bill is now open for discussion”– Committee members should wait to be recognized– Each member has the right to speak twice– Each member should have an opportunity to speak before any member

can speak their second time– Author of bill, if present, has the right to speak first– Discussion should be pertinent to the subject at hand (rule out-of-order)

• Proposals to amend must be seconded, discussed as above, then voted on. Accepted amendments must be in writing.

• Call the question – vote to end discussion• “We will now vote on the bill “An Act to ____________”

“All in favor?” count yeas “All opposed?” count nays

• Announce results, move on to next bill

Module IV

Parliamentary

Procedure

Leadership Training: Parliamentary Procedure

Leadership Training: Parliamentary Procedure

Bill Collation Day• Finished bills were submitted via mail

or physically by students on leadership

• This year: Google Docs – Digital distribution of bills statewide

Club-level Parliamentary Procedure Practice

• Once bills are written, practice running committees with bills• Lobbyists practice supporting bills• Members take turns running committee to gain practice with

RONR

The only way anyone gets better at RONR is by using them…

Module V

Preparing for Party Caucus, Committees and the General

Assembly

Caucus and Committee Day• Set during week before RIML

• Caucus: Liberal / Conservative leaders, whips meet with party members lay out strategies: bills to support and to oppose

Caucus and Committee Day• Committees: legislation moves through the various

committees• Delegates are assigned to sit on committees; whips

and lobbyists work to pass defeat or amend legislation

Rhode Island Model Legislature• State House, last Saturday of March 2015, 8:30 AM to

1 PM• Keynote/Guest Speaker, Advisor’s meeting• Book Awards

Model Legislature Website

• https://sites.google.com/a/ewg.k12.ri.us/model-legislature/home

Module VI

Club Wrap-up Activities

TBA, located in the Advisors Corner on the RIML Website

• https://sites.google.com/a/ewg.k12.ri.us/model-legislature/home

Module VII

Connecting Model Legislature with Common Core and RI Grade-Span Expectations

(GSEs)

TBA, located in the Advisors Corner on the RIML Website

• https://sites.google.com/a/ewg.k12.ri.us/model-legislature/home

Rhode Island Model Legislature

and You!How to advise a Model Legislature

program in your school

Contact your state co-coordinators at:Louise A. Oliveira (EWG): louise_oliveira@ewg.k12.ri.us Mark K. Gardner (Chariho) gardner.mark.k@gmail.com

Rhode Island Model Legislature

and You!How to advise a Model Legislature

program in your school