Students meet with governor to lobby Wyoming Bill.
Students meet with governor to lobby AP 03/19/2006 GILLETTE (AP) - Seventh-grader Jesse Scherer thinks bullies make the school atmosphere intimidating and unpleasant. He had his fingers crossed that a bill establishing a statewide bullying policy would be passed in the Wyoming Legislature this session. "If it goes so far as to make kids hate school or quit school or be home schooled or something, that's not good," he said. "It's important to be in a public school to get a social education." This is just one of the many bills Scherer has studied in his Sage Valley Junior High gifted and talented class in recent weeks as students have followed and learned about the legislative session. About 30 of these seventh-grade students visited Cheyenne recently to get a firsthand look at the legislative process and ask questions to supplement what they've been learning in class. "What I want them to take away from (the trip) is to know that they can have a say in government," said Cindy Reardon, the teacher in charge of the field trip. "If they see a need for a new law, they can talk to a representative or a senator and convince them to draft a new law and have it proposed at the Legislature." Reardon arranged for the students to meet with Gov. Dave Freudenthal and the state's four other top officials, as well as a Supreme Court justice. They also were scheduled to tour the Wyoming State Museum, the capitol building and the Historic Governor's Mansion. To prepare for the trip, students studied upcoming bills, researched information about each of the top five elected officials and discussed newspaper articles relating to state government and specific bills. Although not all students heard back from the legislators they e-mailed, those who did said they were surprised how easy it was to get in contact with them and find out about the status and purpose of various bills. Scherer e-mailed the sponsor of the bullying bill, Rep. Stephen Watt, R-Rock Springs, to ask why he sponsored it and what it would do. He learned that Watt's daughter was bullied so much that she quit school, and Watt didn't want to see the same thing happen to other students. Stephen Wadsack e-mailed Sen. John Barrasso, R-Casper, to ask about a bill that would treat the murder of a pregnant woman as two homicides. He learned that 32 states have such a law and that Barrasso got the idea when Laci Peterson and her unborn son were murdered. The senator said he realized that there were two victims in that case and thought justice should be served for both. Wadsack decided he agreed with this rationale and was disappointed that the bill did not pass. One of the bills the students expressed the most interest in was one that would increase penalties for repeat offenses of sexual assault and immoral or indecent acts committed against children, Reardon said. Although it did not pass, students were strongly in favor of that bill, probably because it had to do with children, she said. "I think (sex offenders) are just sick and if they don't get very severe punishments, they can just go out and do it again," said Austin Morgan. The seventh-grade students each had different questions to ask legislators and elected officials when they meet with them. Caitlyn Bland wanted to know what it's like to be a legislator. "How stressful is it? Is it fun?" she said. "Or is it better to go for a different job?" She also planned to ask legislators she met what their favorite bills were. Morgan wanted to know how the amount of money attached to each bill was determined. He didn't understand why certain bills he sees as important, such as the one regarding sex offender penalties, don't have more money attached to them. Students said that learning about the legislative process had encouraged them to be more interested in state government in the future. "When I am an adult, I'll have to make decisions about how to vote, and I wouldn't be able to do that if I don't have a foundation about how the legislative process works to pass bills," Morgan said. Reardon, who has taken seventh grade gifted and talented students on a trip to Cheyenne during the legislative session since 2002, said she thinks the trip and the information that students learn is invaluable. "It gives them a more global view of the state rather than looking at their own community," she said. "Now I know where to find out what bills do and what they're for and how to contact legislators if I feel strongly about a bill," Morgan said. "It's easier than I thought." --- Information from: News-Record, http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com http://www.starherald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16332443&BRD=484&PAG=461&dept_id=553253&rfi=6