Commonwealth Overview
HS & MS | See Eligibility Chart
Second 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 |
Commonwealth Delegates serve as State Representatives and Senators. They rank, debate, and vote on bills that are written and sponsored by delegates from each school.
There is no limit on the number of Commonwealth Delegates a school can register for KYA, but each school can only sponsor a max of 5 Commonwealth Bills.
The number of Commonwealth Bills a school can sponsor depends on how many Commonwealth Delegates (see the Delegate Roles section below) a school has at KYA:
# of CW Delegates*
1-15
16-30
31-45
45-60
61+
# of CW Bills
1
2
3
4
5 (Max)
*Total includes: Senators, Representatives, Bill Sponsors, Chairs, and Doorkeepers.
Total does NOT include: All specialized programs participants in the Supreme Court, Cabinet & Lobbyists, Media Corps programs. Nor does it include Presiding officers, Supporting Officers (appointed or applied), and Candidates.
Legislative Research Commission
Commonwealth bill sponsors can meet with our Legislative Research Commission during KYA prep season to better prepare their bills for debate. Sponsors can join these meetings and get feedback on their bills from our qualified students! Click here to sign up for any one of our available sessions.
Legislative Research Commission Dates:
- Tuesday, October 8 from 5-6 PM EST
- Tuesday, October 15 from 6-7 PM EST
- Tuesday, October 22 from 5-6 PM EST
- Tuesday, October 29 from 6-7 PM EST
- Tuesday, November 5 from 5-6 PM EST
Delegate Roles
A comprehensive Role Guide is available for each of the following delegate roles and officer positions on the KYA Resources page
Only students in the three roles below count towards your total when determining how many bills your school can sponsor.
State Representatives & Senators
All Commonwealth Delegates rank, debate, and vote on bills as either Representatives or Senators (Y-Staff assign chambers).
Bill Sponsors | Up to 4 Students per Resolution
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.
Doorkeeper | Up to 1 Student per School
Each school also may select one student to serve as a doorkeeper. Doorkeepers are tasked with monitoring entrances and exits from a room and the door docket during Committees and Summits, they are allowed and encouraged to speak and participate during debate.
Supporting Officers
Committee Chairs / Pro Tempore
Appointed by Delegation | 1 or 2 per delegation (Grades 8/12)
- Delegations of any size may appoint up to 2 committee chairs. (Must be 8th Grade for MS, 12th Grade for HS and have at least 1 year KYA or KUNA experience).
- Must attend one of our two KYA Supporting Officer Trainings in October (Committee Chairs can choose either date).
- Chairs run debate during Committees at KYA. They should be experienced with KYA parliamentary procedure.
- Based on their Committee performance, Chairs can be chosen as Pro Tempores that preside over the House or Senate.
House Clerk & Senate Clerk
Appointed by Speaker/Sen. President (HS); Chosen from Committee Chairs (MS)
- Must attend KYA Supporting Officer Training 1 in October.
- Serve as Clerk during Committees and during House/Senate debate.
Presiding Officers
Delegations must intent and register for the conference of which their Presiding Officer is elected/appointed.
Speaker of the House
Elected from Candidates
- Manages the House before and during Assembly.
- Presides over the Highest Ranked House Chamber.
President of the Senate
Elected from Candidates
- Manages the Senate before and during Assembly.
- Presides over the Highest Ranked Senate Chamber.
Assembly Agenda
Program Area Roles
Committee Hearings | Day 1
Commonwealth 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 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?
House/Senate Debate | Day 2
Based on ranking, all bills are debated in 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 Governor.
Meeting with Governor | Day 2
Once a bill passes the House and Senate, Sponsors sign-up to meet with the Governor. Sponsors have 3 minutes to present to the Governor, followed by questions and discussion that help determine whether the Governor will sign or veto the bill.
Veto Override | Day 3
If the Governor vetoes a bill, the Sponsors can try to override the veto by adding their bill to the Override docket. Bills on the docket require a 2/3 majority vote of the Assembly to be heard. If heard, the Governor and Sponsors each get 1 min. to speak before voting. A simple majority vote is required to override the veto and enact the bill into law.