Tennessee representative David Hawk led a discussion on lawmaking with students enrolled in the Tusculum College Upward Bound program on Thursday, June 12.
Hawk explained to the students the legislative process and answered questions before leading the group through a bill development case study exercise. Students selected a topic and talked through each of the steps to creating a law from the process of developing the initial language to the requirements for passing the legislative bodies to be enacted into law.
Hawk, who attended Tusculum College, also discussed other related topics with the students, including the importance of registering to vote and career pathways in politics.
He explained to the students that the legislative term in the Tennessee House of Representatives is designed to provide for approximately 90 days every two years to work as a group to develop legislation. He explained that they are often going down to the wire to get everything done in the limited amount of time.
“In Tennessee, being a legislator is part-time,” he told the group, explaining that most legislators have another job in their home community.
Upward Bound made its debut at Tusculum in 1973 when it launched with a mission to aid first-generation college students and those challenged by socio-economic hardships. Upward Bound still strives to assist high school students in achieving success in a rigorous academic curriculum, as well as preparing them to excel in college and post-secondary education.
Tennessee representative David Hawk led a discussion on lawmaking with students enrolled in the Tusculum College Upward Bound program