Summerlin-area youth legislators draft bills, learn art of compromise

The Legislature began its 79th session Feb. 6, but not all those hoping to pass bills are adults. Twenty-one are students chosen to represent their state in the Youth Legislature.

When their two-year terms began in August 2015, the youth legislators were flown to Northern Nevada for training. They got a tour, met with Gov. Brian Sandoval and learned what was expected of them.

Representing the Summerlin area were Hadley Mitchell in District 8 and Nadia Ozone in District 6.

Mitchell, 17 and a senior at Valley High School, works with Sen. Patricia Farley.

“We keep connected with the constituents, working to serve our youth and better represent them,” Mitchell said.

She learned about the Youth Legislature while on an advisory committee to the Clark County school board. Once appointed, she and the 20 others were flown to Reno, then taken to Carson City for two days of training at the Capitol.

The Las Vegas-area youth legislators meet once a month at the Sawyer Building downtown with members from Northern Nevada communicating via videoconference. Other obligations come in the form of meetings with district youth advisory committees. Those students relay what types of policies students in their schools want enacted or what changes they’d like to see. Youth legislators host town hall meetings for the public.

Using that input, each youth legislator is tasked with coming up with a Nevada-specific bill that must address the needs of those 18 or younger. Mitchell’s idea was enacting curriculum to prepare students for the ACT and SAT.

From 21 ideas, the field was whittled to seven, then to two. The final proposed legislation dealt with the age of consent. The bill was revised and finalized at subsequent meetings and formally introduced as Senate Bill 108. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Education.

Mitchell said working with others on selecting a bill to send to lawmakers taught her about compromise.

“I realize it’s important to listen to the other side and to keep in mind the people who wouldn’t necessarily support it but to evaluate that and say, ‘How can we get the best of both worlds? How can we create a bill that will satisfy both groups of people?’” Mitchell said.

In April, she and the other youth legislators will go to Carson City to present their bill.

“Youth legislators have a pretty good record of getting their proposals passed,” Mitchell said. “I know a lot of the legislators have a lot of respect for the program … (and) have a lot of respect for our concerns.”

Mitchell is looking at attending college in Boston or Washington, D.C., and plans a career in public policy or political science.

Ozone, 18, a student council member at Somerset Academy of Las Vegas-Sky Pointe, said she has “an interest in politics and things like that … it seemed like a chance to get involved and make a difference.”

School counselor Janna Cash said Ozone showed an ability to balance school, extracurricular activities and volunteer work.

“This opportunity gives her real-life experience to be able to see the world in a different point of view and use her voice to make a positive difference,” Cash said, adding that it provides and “a more global viewpoint of the world.”

Ozone worked with Sen. Mark Lipparelli, then his successor, Sen. Nicole Cannizzaro. Ozone proposed a bill about adoption because her teacher since seventh grade, Blake Miles, and his wife, Amy, spent years trying to adopt a child. She contacted Safe Haven and the Division of a Child and Family Services.

“I didn’t realize how many steps there are and what it took to even present a bill or get anything passed,” she said. “I didn’t realize how intricate everything was and how many people are working on everything. It’s pretty cool to see that perspective.”

She said she was unsure if she would ever venture into politics herself. As for the current political climate, “I just think it’s complicated and very controversial right now,” she said. “I hope for the best. I’m not Republican or Democrat or anything, but I know it’s very controversial. I have different feelings about different topics but I hope for the best.”

Ozone wants to attend either UNLV or UC San Diego. She aspires to a lawyer and plans to study political science.

To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.