Virginia Youth In Government

Overview
Virgina's Youth and Government main program is the Model General Assembly. This mock legislative session takes place between March and April, always on a Thursday-Saturday schedule. The majority of the 500+ students who attend each year act as delegates and senators. This program is similar to other states in which students patron their own bill and present it first through committee, then chamber; if it passes through the first committee and chamber, then it goes on to the second committee and opposite chamber (house/senate depending on where the bill originiated.) The group of students is divided into two subsections: Commonwealth and Old Dominion which



both contain a House and Senate. The Lieutenant Governor and House Speaker preside over the Commonwealth chambers, which convene in the offical General Assembly chambers for the whole day Friday while the Senate President Pro Temp. and House Speaker Pro Temp. preside over the Old Dominion chambers which only recieve the offical chambers with nice chairs on Saturday for the half-day crossover. The remainder of the time, the delegates and senators spend their time in house and senate rooms right beneath the official chambers.

Elected Positions

 * Youth Governor: This is the highest elected office at MGA, and he/she serves as both Head of State and Chief Executive. The Youth Governor makes an official address at the opening ceremonies of MGA and closing statements at the final session. He/she is responsible for setting up meetings with bill patrons and other legislators during MGA sessions to gain knowledge about proposed bills. The Youth Governor makes the final decision on all legislation which has passed through both chambers. He/she must announce decisions on legislation at the closing session. At other times during the year between the election and the next MGA, the Youth Governor may be called upon to perform other duties inherent to the office. The Youth Governor usually picks several people to serve as his/her staff. They perform any number of tasks, from contacting bill patrons to scheduling meetings with lobbyists to offering their opinions and questions on bills. During MGA, they work in the Governor's office.
 * Lieutenent Governor: Presiding Officer of Commonwealth Senate (Senate President). Controls debate and maintains decorum
 * Attorney General: serves as chief counsel to the Youth Governor. He/she is responsible for investigating the legality of bills and advising the Governor. During MGA, he/she works in the Governor's office. The A.G. usually chooses one person to serve on his/her staff. This person may track bills, talk to resource people, and lobbies senators and delegates.
 * Speaker of the House: serves as the presiding officer of the Commonwealth House of Delegates. He/she controls debate in the House and maintains order & decorum. The House Speaker also presides over all joint assemblies of MGA legislators.
 * Senate President pro tem/ House Speaker pro tem: Serves as Old Dominion's Presiding Officers for the Senate and House respectively.

Appointed Officers

 * Committee Chair: Committee chairs run the committee and see that all bills get a fair hearing. They maintain order in committee. Committee chairs usually do not act as bill patrons nor do they usually engage in debate.
 * Clerk of the House/Senate: The Clerk serves as the "secretary" of his/her chamber, reading the calendar, keeping track of bills and amendments, and reading amendments as they are submitted. They work under the direction of the House Speaker or Lieutenant Governor or HSPT/SPPT.
 * Sergeant-at-Arms: Each is assigned to a chamber and is responsible for monitoring the flow of people and messages in and out of his/her chamber. He is in charge of the pages in his chamber. He also officially declares each chamber session open. The Commonwealth House Sergeant-At-Arms has additional responsibilities during joint sessions.
 * Floor Leader: Each works in tandem with the presiding officer of his/her chamber to monitor the flow of debate. He/she is responsible for making most of the motions on the floor of the chamber and should be an experienced MGA participant. The Floor Leader makes sure the calender is moving smoothly.


 * Deputy Clerk: Assists the Clerk of the House/Senate.

Roles

 * Reporter: Works with an adult advisor to create blog entries for the Virginia YMCA website.
 * Lobbyist: Lobbyists are responsible for influencing the opinions of legislators at MGA. Each is assigned to a committee and should develop statements about each of the bills in his/her committee. There is a specified time during each committee bill debate for lobbyists to speak. He/she may also go to committees other than the one assigned to speak on other bills. Lobbyists are not allowed on the floor of chambers, but may continue to attempt to influence legislators through written messages and outside conferences.
 * Staff/Cabinet Member: Chosen by the Youth Governor and the Attorney General, they assist the YG and AG.
 * Delegate: Delegates are members of the House of Delegates. They represent their delegations by presenting bills and speaking in House committees and on the floor of the House of Delegates. Delegates are not allowed to enter the floor of the Senate.
 * Senator: Senators are members of the Senate. They represent their delegations by presenting bills and speaking in Senate committees and on the floor of the Senate. Senators are not allowed to enter the floor of the House of Delegates.
 * Underclassmen Legislature: Freshmen and sophomore students can learn more about the history of Virginia's legislative process and meet with members of the legislature and lobbyists. Highlights include an historic Capitol tour, a Supreme Court tour, a bill writing workshop, and debate of the original legislation created at MGA.