SCHUYLKILL HAVEN – On Thursday, May 8, over 80 students from 11 local school districts will participate in the fourth annual ‘Senator for a Day’ program hosted by Senator David G. Argall (R-29) at Penn State’s Schuylkill Campus.
Sen. Argall’s ‘Senator for a Day’ program provides students with a real-life example of how the state legislature works in Harrisburg. The event, which kicks off at 8 a.m., splits students up into mock committees to debate current issues facing the General Assembly. Students will work with staff on a host of issues, including school property tax reform, using a cell phone while driving, and school vouchers, among others.
“I’m encouraged that each year, this event keeps growing,” Argall said. “The issues are very similar to the issues the Senate and House are currently debating in Harrisburg. The students hear about these issues at home, whether in the newspaper, on the television or at the dinner table, and it makes them more engaged.”
The school districts will register and take photographs with Sen. Argall at 8 a.m. Sen. Argall will address students and teachers at 8:30 a.m. in the John E. Morgan Auditorium. Students will head to their respective committee meetings to consider two pieces of mock legislation at 9 a.m. The committees include an Education Committee, Finance Committee, State Government Committee and Transportation Committee.
After lunch, students will convene in the auditorium for a general session to consider any bills that were approved that morning in the committee meeting process starting at 11:40 a.m.
“This is a fun event but I think the students take a whole new understanding of the legislative process in a fun and informative way,” Argall said.