Diving into the Journey of a Boys State Legislative Bill

Each day at the Farmer School of Business, Senators and Representatives alike hustle and bustle about the legislature, briskly shifting from room to room. In order to keep the American Legion Buckeye Boys State (ALBBS) government as close to its delegates as it can, these Senators and Representatives devote their time to shaping one important framework—the legislative bill. That said, one crucial question arises: what does a bill’s journey through the ALBBS legislature look like?

Noah Hanlon, a resident of Weldon City, is a clerk for the Jobs, Infrastructure, and Commerce committee. Consistently working with and organizing bills, Hanlon is more than familiar with what the document is by definition. In its earliest stages, he describes the legislative bill as something that a Senator or Representative may draft, hoping to eventually become law. More specifically, however, a prospective Senator or Representative will first draft the bill’s “framework” on paper, Hanlon states. At that point, the bill is a mere idea, nowhere close to publishing. In its infancy, the ALBBS legislative process very much mirrors that of both the Ohio state and federal governments.

The process, however, certainly does not stop there. Trynt Heart, Peltier City resident, serves as a Chief Clerk in the Senate. One of the main tasks associated with his position is making sure a bill has everything it needs. “I’m…a contributor,” Heart notes. “[I] make sure the bill [legislators] give us goes to the Legislative Services Commission.” Ensuring organization within the bill, Heart’s duties highlight a stepping stone that a bill must take in the ALBBS legislature.

As expected, after that, the bill is handed off to the Legislative Services Commission (LSC). Those who work in the LSC, such as LSC Director Brandon Jiang, a resident of Pennell City, begin to shape the bill into “something comprehensive.” For Jiang, he shares the same duties as his LSC colleagues, aiming to strengthen various bills while effectively leading when necessary. 

At this point in the process, hefty, factual research will be done in order to add information to a bill. Bills will also be checked for grammatical issues and constitutionality. Additionally, Jiang remarks, “bad handwriting” can also be grounds for a bill to be sent back down, as LSC members cannot carry out their tasks if bills are illegible. Ultimately, LSC members are critical in ensuring that bills accurately portray the policy their sponsor intended.

Upon being made more structurally sound, the revised bill will be read in the chamber in which it originated. In the House of Representatives, as Clerk Noah Hanlon suggests, the chamber’s leader will ask its legislators if they wish to send it into committee. If legislators have a distaste for the bill initially, it may never make it into committee. However, if the chamber decides the bill should be sent into committee, the Speaker of the House, Hanlon explains, will assign the most “appropriate” committee for it to go to. 

That is where Hanlon’s duties lie. Maintaining a record of topics discussed in committee, the bill, among other tasks, will be “debated” and “amended.” In Hanlon’s case, the bill will be brought to the House as a whole, and it will be debated. Supposing the bill passes in the House, it will be sent to the Senate, the same process occurring yet again, this time in the higher chamber.

Even if the bill passes both chambers of the legislature, it must still be approved by the ALBBS governor, Nicholas Jensvold. Notably, the governor’s greatest power in the legislative process is the gubernatorial veto. As of writing, Governor Jensvold has not yet utilized the tool. When looking at factors that may contribute to a veto, however, Press Secretary Benjamin O’Leary, a Welden City resident, highlights that Governor Jensvold’s policy aligns mainly with a Federalist-centric policy. Thus, in the coming days, party ties may present issues. 

Nonetheless, Secretary O’Leary emphasizes that the legislative process, thus far, has moved at a “surprisingly fast” rate. With both the governor and the legislature working efficiently, the process has been very constructive and concise, with very few arguments arising.

The legislative process is undeniably complex. Despite that, it functions the way it does in order to ensure that ALBBS laws are fair and just. For Senate Chief Clerk Trynt Heart, he believes in “let[ing] the people speak.” Although he has disagreements with certain pieces of legislation, if it is what the people want, Heart is for it. 

Additionally, for LSC Director Jiang, the process takes on a status of major influence. Particularly, he focuses on the legislative process’s significance when it comes to addressing real-world concerns, allowing the legislature to navigate them with efficacy. All in all, despite the complexity of the process, sometimes appearing redundant, the effectiveness of it outweighs the negatives, leaving delegates with clear, just laws.