THE FOLLOWING RELEASE IS FROM STATE SENATOR CHAPIN ROSE’S OFFICE
SPRINGFIELD– State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) welcomed high school students from across the 51st Senate District to the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield to learn more about the state’s legislative process as part of his Youth Advisory Council (YAC) program.
“I have really enjoyed doing the mock trial today at the Youth Advisory Council,” said Rubyrae Fraser-Soule, student from Georgetown-Ridge Farm High School. “When I think about politics and Republican vs. Democrat, I think of a hostile environment, and the experience today showed me that it is not like that.”
“My favorite part about the YAC was going into the Senate and House Chambers and being able to see the beauty of them and the architecture,” said Taylor Page, student from Hoopeston Area High School.
Sen. Rose’s YAC program allows local high school students to learn more about Illinois State Government. During the recent YAC meeting, students took on the various roles involved in the legislative process for a mock committee hearing in an actual committee room at the Capitol. The students served as lawmakers, reporters, concerned citizens, and lobbyists, advocating for and against a mock legislative proposal in a simulated Senate committee hearing. This year, the bill they negotiated focused on the Mahomet Aquifer, a critical water source that affects most students in the district.
“This is a great opportunity for students to engage themselves in the legislative process,” said Sen. Rose. “These students are our future, and I was very impressed by the group.”
Sen. Rose’s YAC program is open to high school students in the 51st Senate District each year. He encourages interested students to ask their teachers and/or principals to take part in future YAC programs.
