GOP State Sen. Chuck Weaver hosted about 40 students from local high schools at yesterday’s Youth Advisory Council at the State Capitol in Springfield.
As part of a civics lesson, students mock debated legislation playing the roles of legislators, lobbyists, media and citizens.
The debate that played out was over if welfare recipients should undergo mandatory drug testing.
Students participating came from Galesburg, Dunlap, Elmwood Galva, Knoxville, Metamora, Oneida and Princeton, locally.
Weaver calls the event a “first of it’s kind” for the 37th District and that it provides youth leaders with an “invaluable” opportunity to learn more about how their government operates.
The Senator says that students were chosen by their principals to attend.
“This was a chance to get them in a room and understand how government works and we also talked about leadership,” Weaver says.
Area students attending included Ashleigh Nutzhorn and Alison Siever from Galesburg Christian, Deora Inness and Evan Link from Knoxville and Annabeth Gibbons and Madison Kalb from ROWVA and Isaiah Harlan from Galesburg High School.
Students also heard from neighboring Republican State Senators Sue Rezin of Morris and Jason Barickman of Normal.
