Senator Browne's 2nd Annual "Senator For A Day" Students Given an Opportunity to See How Government Works

State Senator Pat Browne hosted his 2nd Annual "Senator for a Day" at Muhlenberg College in Allentown on Thursday, November 6, 2008.

"Senator for a Day" is an opportunity for local high school students to get a taste of what it is like to be a state legislator and how the legislative process works in Pennsylvania. Students are given an opportunity to participate – as Senators – in the full process of passing a bill through the state Senate.

"It was my honor to host for the second year a "Senator for a Day" program to give these young men and women the chance to see how the legislative process works first-hand," Senator Browne said. "We provide them the starting point for legislation. They decide which bills they want to work on, which they want to amend or support. Finally, they have the chance to vote with the rest of the students on every piece of legislation to see whether or not it passes the full Senate."

The morning began with Senator Browne explaining the legislative process to the high school students. The students were then broken down into groups (Senate Committees) with each committee discussing two pieces of legislation. Some of the bills up for discussion were: banning drivers from using cell phones while driving, amending the constitution to impose a fine on any state that disposes of excess waste in Pennsylvania, increasing the gas tax to fund mass transit and changing the legal driving age from 16 to 18 years old.

The four committees – Communications and Technology, Environmental Resources and Energy, Finance and Transportation – met to decide what to do and whether or not to pass their two pieces of legislation out of committee and onto the Senator floor for a vote by the full Senate. During this portion of the day, students had the opportunity to see the role that lobbyists play in the legislative process as lobbyists from Harrisburg helped the students determine the affects of their votes on each piece of legislation.

The day culminated with all the students, acting as the Senate body, voting on each piece of legislation that was passed out of the four committees to see if they had enough votes to pass the Senate.

Senator Browne then, in a ceremonial move, signed the approved legislation into law and adjourned the Senate.

Senator Browne's "Senator for a Day" was open to all the high schools (public and private) in the 16th Senatorial District, which includes parts of Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton Counties.

Participating in this year's "Senator for a Day" were: Allentown Central Catholic High School, Excelsior Homeschool Academy, Louis E. Dieruff High School, Northampton Area High School, Notre Dame High School, Parkland High School, Pen Argyl Area High School and William Allen High School.

"Senator for a Day" was made possible by the support and sponsorship of Muhlenberg College, which hosted the program, and White and Williams LLP.

"I thank Muhlenberg College and its president, Dr. Peyton Helm, for generously hosting "Senator for a Day" at their fine institution," Browne said. "I also thank Nancy Conrad and White and Williams for once again helping to sponsor this great event. Both Muhlenberg College and White and Williams have shown a real interest in educating our young people on the process of our state government."

"Senator for a Day" has become an annual program for Senator Browne and he will again hold it in 2009 at a date to be determined.

"It is important that our young people see and understand how our government works," Browne said. "After all, they may very well want to serve the state of Pennsylvania in a legislative capacity one day. I look forward to having the opportunity to hold "Senator for a Day" again next year with a new group of high school students."

Below is list of Advisors and Students who participated in this year's "Senator for a Day."

Allentown Central Catholic High School

Mr. Gary F. Myles, Advisor
Ted Albanese
Sarah Mac Dougall
Allison Malloy
Maria Policare

Exelsior Homeschool Academy

Pastor Donald Stone, Advisor
Matthew Diem
Kathryn Fodale
Christopher Greer
Phoebe Stone
Eden Suarez

Dieruff High School

Mr. Keith Ronalds, Advisor
Ghamar Bitar
Erika Davis
Ruby Khallouf
Samantha Eichelberger
Margaret Roberts
Ambar Rodriguez Anastasia
Sebastionelli Kayla Tilton

Northampton Area High School

Mr. Robert Tugend, Advisor
Joseph Beal
Caitlin Carolan
Jonathon Glick
Joseph Jobes
Tara Kleppinger
Nicole Pennetta
Ashley Ryan
Nathan Stehly

Notre Dame High School

Mr. Bill Harder, Advisor
Jennifer Bastidas

Parkland High School

Mr. Howard Lessel, Advisor
Kelsey Bonsell
Zach Gayner
Monica Stachowski

Pen Argyl Area High School

Ms. Cathy Novello, Advisor
Caitlin Arnold
Taylor Balch
Mahmoud Djindjiev
Annie Mikol
Adam Polkowski
Ali Pump
Jen Schwab
Rachel Witowski

William Allen High School

Mr. Kyle K. Warmkessel, Advisor
Charles Dombrosky
Michael Kennedy
Andrew Krauss
Adam Kucsan
Shamiah Lewis
Kristin Reitenauer
Kevin Rodriguez
Erick Tineo

Contact:

Matt Moyer
(610) 821-8468