By Austin Greene
140 bills are being proposed this year in YAG, an incredible number! While all the bill groups
have done a great job working together to craft their arguments, there are a few bills that stood
out among the rest for their unique titles and arguments:
Four Days Slays, SB 25
While this bill from West Carteret High School caught my eye due to its name, the bill itself is
very well written and presents many reasons for a four-day school week. It would save money,
give teenagers more sleep, generally improve mental health, eliminate the need for
student-teacher workdays…and get rid of Mondays! This bill group has a strong argument in
place.
To Hide the Dawgs, SB 15
This bill, created by a group in the Reynolds High School delegation, will (if passed) prohibit
open-toed footwear in all North Carolina public schools. The reason why? “This will prevent
injury to the dawg areas, ensure student mobility, and eliminate school distractions.” I think it’s
unanimously agreed upon that while some bills in YAG are seen every year, this is a
first-of-its-kind bill to be proposed. Some students may find themselves advocating for this bill
ferociously, on the account that it costs no money to the state government to enforce, and the…
dawgs would be put away. However, those against the bill may argue that this law would limit
students' freedom of expression and that they “want their dawgs to be able to breathe.”
Whatever the case, I can’t wait to see what happens.
Require that all drivers license pictures must be taken in selfie format, SB 65
This may seem unprofessional on the surface, but I understand where New Hanover High
School is coming from. My drivers' license photo looks particularly unflattering, and being able to
take a selfie would make these photos look less like mugshots. The only possible issue may be
consistency, as the older generations are not particularly adept at taking selfies either…I’m
imagining my 80-year-old grandfather struggling with holding the selfie stick. This is a solid
argument, however, and could go either way.
State Pokemon, SB 51
Having Charizard be North Carolina’s official State Pokemon would be a dream for my
10-year-old brother, who’s in the prime of his Pokemon Era. As the bill points out, Charizard is
one of the most popular Pokemon since the game’s creation. However, the opposition could
make the argument that having a commercial product being “advertised” by the state isn’t a
good idea. Of course, if the state is the one that chooses this without outside influence, then
there isn’t much of a problem, and this idea could work.
Stay tuned to find out the results of these bills!
