So you want to write a bill, huh? Well, the first thing to remember is this: a good idea isn't necessarily a good bill. In other words, just because something would help the State of California doesn't mean that it is a good bill topic for Youth and Government delegates.
Seem strange? Well, here's why: Youth and Government bills need to be ideas that can be debated effectively. That means that a bill about requiring State Prisons to use only recycled paper probably isn't so good because no one will want to argue about it!
And really good arguing can only happen if a few other things happen. We've broken it all down for you. Here's what we think makes a good bill:
- Debatability-- people are going to want to argue about your bill from both sides of the issue. If you can't think of an argument against your bill, you should probably pick a different one!
- Importance to California-- the idea here is that a bill that effects a lot of people or a wide variety of people is better than a bill that only effects a few people or a narrow range of people. If a topic has been in newspapers or on TV, then it may be a good bill topic.
- Feasibility--your bill idea could actually work the way you want it to in the real world; it's realistic.
- Researchability--you are going to be able to find facts, statistics, and news articles supporting your idea.
The KEY to a good bill is that it is an idea that you care very much about. The more passionate you feel about your bill, the more you will want to put the work in that will make it successful.
The final bill (or bills if you have a large group) that you select to represent your delegation will be sent to the Youth & Government office and then forwarded to the California State Office of Printing to be printed in our Daily File. To save time we start formatting the bills in our office to the specifications of the State Printer. Accordingly, it is a tremendous help to us if you send us your bill electronically done in a specific format. We can get the bill via e mail or on disc. We will send you a template to use via email in November. Please remember that you still need to send us a hard copy with your Board Chair and Execs signatures. All other bill forms and information (Bill Supplement, code, copy of information about your bill, etc.) can be sent via snail mail or electronically.
When you type your final bill, try your best to do the following:
- When typing, use Times New Roman font.
- If possible, type bill in Microsoft Word document software.
- Put correct YMCA name if you are a branch YMCA title like this:
"Westchester Branch of the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles"
- Leave out the "Referred to the _______________ Committee" line the Y&G office assigns bills to committee and will add that line in. Leave space for the line.
- Type the Bill Abstract after "the act" clause. The abstract is a crucial part of your bill. It is used to describe your bill to the lobbyists, Youth Governor, real life legislators, and the general public in the Commemorative Book and other publications. It needs to be no more than 2 or 3 sentences that succinctly describes what your bill does. Please see the Bill Abstracts Info page following this one for more information.
- When typing the body of the bill, remember to space 1.5 lines (in Word, under Format, Paragraph, Indents & Spacing, Line Spacing). You can, auto-number the lines using Format, Bullets and Numbering, and clicking on the first choice after "None". If you can’t figure this out please leave out the numbers and we will insert them.
- If you are adding new information to an existing code, remember to add it in italics. Show words being removed in strikeout. ("...driver's license to anyone over sixteen eighteen years of)
- Remember to send in to the Y & G Office 2 copies of your bill (one electronically or on disc and one copy of your Bill signed by your board chair and exec), and 1 copy of Bill Supplement Form, the current code for your bill (e.g. Penal Code 14301.2), and 1 copy of at least one supporting article. Note: We will now make the copies BUT and that is a big but – DO NOT STAPLE ANYTHING! If you want to attach pages together, use paper clips.
All bills and forms must be postmarked by December 2, 2005.
Check the links section of this site for valuable websites that can assist with bill development. If you are feeling confused, let us know! Each officer, advisor, and returning delegate has gone through the process many times, and will be happy to help you with your bill. Good luck!
< Sample Bill Template (doc) >
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