Potential and Promise: KYA Bills Hint at the Monumental Nature of This Year’s Session
It’s that time of year again. For the Y-Staff, they’re attending the last of the KYA Sessions this year and picking up their early schedules in 2018. To them, this is another usual KYA. But for the students, who get to go to one of these sessions only four times throughout high school, this is their opportunity to express their desire for change in our commonwealth. And, in less than three days, it’s over.
Because of this, KYA seems like it is running at breakneck speed. There’s the fun stuff, like the numerous meetings that have already taken place, the gubernatorial business cards thrown everywhere, and the Y cheers that we do (How do you feel? We feel great! Do it, do it, do it, do it, all!). But there’s also one side of KYA that many overlook: the bills. While all Day One included was a simple ranking which affects the order in which the bills get presented on Day Two, the influence of public opinion was evidenced in its roots today.
Many bills showed enormous promise. Commonwealth Bill 6, proposed by Bluegrass Homeschool Learning Co-Op, proposes that mental health professionals should be employed at state-funded schools. It argues that a comprehensive law should be enacted to require the employment of medical health professionals at schools to help diagnose and treat emerging physiological and psychological issues among the students. Interestingly enough, this is not a current Kentucky law, so sponsors Bailey Tock, Aspen Rust, and Olivia Denny argue that it should be implemented as soon as possible — even as soon as 2018.
Even bills seen as flawed were still let through and given a fighting chance when pitted against a discerning audience of delegates thanks to a new amendment process. Amendments can be added to any bill as they are presented, and, if accepted, edit the content of the bill and allow an amendended version to move through the House and Senate. Bills like Trinity High School’s experienced the power of change today in their preliminary meetings. Trinity’s bill, sponsored by Drew Grimm and Sam Batcheledor, sought to enforce the teaching of ACT Skills classes in all public high schools in Kentucky, particularly by taking teachers’ existing planning periods to teach the class. However, opposition quickly mounted against their bill as people not only opposed taking a teacher’s planning period away, but advocated for the class to be elective only, as some delegates did not want students abusing the time to sleep or do nonproductive activities. An amendment to make the bill an elective, required to be taken in a student’s sophomore, junior, or senior year was proposed, and the bill was amended unanimously.
Now, all the bills progress to the Capitol or Hotel House and Senate for debate on Day Two of KYA. While it’s impossible to tell which bills will be passed, there is an overarching theme of thoughtfulness and change seen in every bill. From what has been seen today, it seems likely that most will make it through. But, regardless of what we see today, tomorrow remains the deciding day for all bills and will define this year’s third KYA conference. Because, after all, the bills are the one core part of KYA that directly impacts state-wide change — and it’s all about the desire to change our community.
