Lawmaking Simulation with Sen. Pittman

AP Gov takes a bill to Capital Hill (so to speak)

On April 24th, the senior AP Government class as well as students from fourteen neighboring districts, traveled to IUP for a Lawmaking Simulation, hosted by our State Senator, Joe Pittman. At the beginning of the session, the students were funneled into the auditorium at the Kovalchick Center and introduced to former PA Commonwealth Court Judge, Drew Crompton, who spoke on the lawmaking process. Crompton was able to engage with the assembled students from the start, including our own Ben Burkhart, who he fondly labeled “Alpaca Hair.” Through a variety of questions which encouraged students to consider the importance of the three branches of government, as well as the real-world thought processes behind lawmaking, students were prepared to break out into mixed groups to discuss their own bills which would be presented for a vote later in the day. Topics for the day included A.I. Deep Fakes, photo identification for voting, the minimum wage, and school employees carrying firearms in schools. 

In the morning session, students were asked to debate, amend, and reconcile their bills to present them for the afternoon session. Overall, students expressed their satisfaction with the work process and outcome. Student Jason Wagner took the stage as a “Senator” for his bill about requiring photo identification for voting. Wagner proudly noted, “It was the only bill to be unanimously passed all day.” Fellow classmate Ashton Sellinger alternatively expressed his disgust with the lawmaking process due to the lack of reason-based opinions and “uneducated stubbornness” he experienced in his group. Cullin Schantz even used some of the things he learned in AP in an effort to manipulate the established system, going outside of the traditional lawmaking process to ensure that his group’s bill had a chance of being passed. 

All in all, students were satisfied with the experience. As Jules Fisher noted to Mr. Facemyre, “You know what? The day was much better than I thought it was going to be.” Of course, Mr. Facemyre replied to Fisher with one of his trademark smiley faces. :-)