Bluegrass Overview
HS & MS | See Eligibility Chart
First Level of the House and Senate
Commonwealth Resources:
| Year | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Year | BG | BG | B/C* | BG | BG | B/C* | CW |
| 2nd Year | - | CW | CW | BG | BG | CW | CW |
| 3rd Year | - | - | CW | BG | BG | CW | CW |
| 4th Year | - | - | - | BG | B/C* | CW | CW |
| 5th Year | - | - | - | - | B/C* | CW | CW |
| 6th Year | - | - | - | - | - | CW | CW |
| 7th Year | - | - | - | - | - | - | CW |
Bluegrass Delegates serve as State Representatives and Senators. They rank, debate, and vote on bills that are written and sponsored by delegates from each delegation.
There is no limit on the number of Bluegrass Delegates a delegation can register for KYA, but each delegation can only sponsor a max of 5 Bluegrass Bills.
The number of Bluegrass Bills a school can sponsor depends on how many Bluegrass Delegates (see the Delegate Roles section below) a school has at KYA:
# of BG Delegates*
1-15
16-30
31-45
45-60
61+
# of BG Bills
1
2
3
4
5 (Max)
*Total includes: Senators, Representatives, Bill Sponsors, Lobbyists, Chairs, and Doorkeepers.
Total does NOT include: All specialized programs participants in the Supreme Court, Cabinet & Lobbyist, Media Corps programs. Nor does it include Presiding officers, Supporting Officers (appointed or applied), and Candidates.
Program Area Roles
A comprehensive Role Guide is available for each of the following delegate roles and officer positions on the KYA Resources page
Delegate Roles
Available to all delegates who meet Bluegrass eligibility
- Representatives & Senators
- Bill Sponsors
Up to 4 delegates can serve as the Sponsors of a bill. Sponsors are responsible for the following tasks:- Bill Writing & Research – Lead the research and writing of the resolution. Students can write their bills on an any issue they would like discussed by their peers in the House or Senate. Sponsors can review the Youth Governor’s Agenda for topic ideas.
- Presenting Bill– Give an opening and closing statement and answering non-debatable technical questions during debate. Opening and closing statements must remain under 3 minutes and cannot include any use of props during their speech, nor give reference or require audience participation.
Supporting Officers
By application or appointment only, and must attend Supporting Officer Training.
- House & Senate Clerks | Appointed by Bluegrass Speaker/President
- Committee Chairs are appointed on registration and will serve at the conference only if they attend the required Chair Trainings.
Presiding Officers (HS Only)
Delegations must intent and register for the conference of which their Presiding Officer is elected/appointed.
Elected from candidates or chosen by their program area, and must agree to fulfill all Presiding Officer Commitments.
- Speaker of BG House | Elected from Candidates
- President of BG Senate | Elected from Candidates
Assembly Agenda
The agenda below provides a brief overview of the program area at KYA. For a full description of roles and responsibilities, please review the Role Guides and Program Area Resources on the KYA Resources page.
Day 1 | Committee Hearings
After Education Fair, Bluegrass Delegates go to Committees. Bill Sponsors present their bills, then delegates debate and rank the bills to determine which bills are debated in the Highest Ranked Chambers on Day 2. To rank bills, delegates use online Ranking Sheets – one sheet per school in each committee – and rank bills on the following criteria (1-5 on each, poor to excellent):
- Evidence of Research – Was this issue well-researched, including any applicable policies already in place?
- Feasibility – Is it possible for the state government to implement this law?
- Impact– Is this policy issue is impactful enough to create a law?
- Presentation – Is there evidence of training by the Sponsors? Were they persuasive?
- Creativity – Are the proposed ideas, actions and solutions unique?
Day 2 | House/Senate Debate
Based on ranking, all bills are debated at the Hotel by the full House/Senate. Bills are voted on and either passed or defeated. If a bill is passed by one chamber, the Sponsors go present in the other. If both chambers pass a bill, the Sponsors sign-up to meet the Lt. Governor.
Day 2 | Meeting with Lt. Governor
Once a bill passes the House and Senate, Sponsors sign-up to meet with the Lt. Governor. Sponsors have a few minutes to present to the Lt. Governor, followed by questions and discussion that help determine whether the Lt. Governor will include the issue as a part of their agenda in meeting with the governor.