Capitol Briefings Special Edition

The Presiding Officer

Corps is comprised of

thirteen individuals who

were either elected or

appointed to serve the

Florida YMCA Youth In

Government program.

Being a PO is a

t r e m e n d o u s

responsibility, and it

takes hard work and

dedication. As a PO, you

spend lots of time

working with the other

officers, whether at

retreats, or on the

phone. Depending on

your position, you will

h e l p c r e a t e t h e

executive and legislative

agendas, edit articles for

Capital Briefings, or

write cases. Regardless

of your specific position,

when you become a PO

you become part of a

team.

A Presiding Officer

p o s i t i o n i s a

responsibility that should

not be taken lightly. First

you have to win the

election at your Fall

District Conference. If

y o u w i n ,

congratulations, now

begin the preparations

for running at State

Assembly. For those of

you interested in an

appointed position, work

on going above and

b e y o n d i n y o u r

delegation and program

area.

As a PO, you get the

honor to serve the entire

program. This means

you attend every FDC as

well as PO/SO, which is

great because you meet

more delegates in the

program.

Running to be a

presiding officer is a

huge decision that

should not be taken

lightly. It takes a lot of

time and effort so make

sure you are willing to

meet the demands.

Similar to Youth In

Government as a whole,

you get out of it what

you put into it, and I

encourage all of you to

consider running for a

p r e s i d i n g o f f i c e r

position, it truly is a life-

changing experience.

2014-15 Presiding Officer Corps. Photo Courtesy of Laura Stargel

BY CALEB MIRANDA

COMMISSIONER OF

AGRICULTURE

SPECIAL EDITION · 17 SEPTEMBER 2014

You can be a future leader

Do you love to write?

Are you constantly

checking twitter to keep

up with the latest news?

The Press Corps could be

the place for you! As a

member of the Press

Corps, you report on

everything from court

cases to bills to

Governor’s ball. The

Press Corps connects the

different program areas

so delegates know what

is going on in the

Cabinet while they are

debating in the Senate.

Similar to the other

program areas, you can

work with your friends

and write articles

together. Being in Press

is more than just sitting

at your computer

writing, you get to walk

around the Capitol

conducting interviews

and taking pictures. It is

unlike the other program

areas because the

process is more creative

and less formal. Do not

think you have to wait till

State Assembly for the

fun to begin, you write

articles at Fall District

Conference and in the

months leading up to

State Assembly. Since

there is a cap to how

many delegates can join

the corps, there is an

application, but do not

let that deter you. When

you join the Press Corps,

you join a family within

the YIG family.

Bonus to being in

Press: You get to use the

press box above the

House of Representatives

which gives you the best

seat in the house. If you

are a second year

delegate and Press is

something you would like

to do, apply on the

Deledex by October 1st.

BY ABBY CONTRERAS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Perks of the Press

2 CAPITOL BRIEFINGS SPECIAL EDITION 17 SEPTEMBER 2014

Find the right SO position for you

As your dedication to

the program increases,

you may decide to

apply for a supporting

officer position. There

are so many positions,

which one is the right

for you? Here is a run-

down of all the

support ing o f f i cer

positions available. If

more than one position

perks your interest, feel

free to sign up for both

of them.

EXECUTIVE

SUPPORTING OFFICERS

T h e E x e c u t i v e

supporting officers all

have their own Director

of Legislative Affairs

(DLA). You will write

and present a policy

proposal to the Cabinet

and basically be like

DLAs yourselves except

you set your own

agenda. Pos i t ions

include:

• Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justices

• Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection

• Commissioner of Education

• Secretary of State • State Surgeon General

JUDICIAL SUPPORTING

OFFICERS

The Associate Justices

(up to 5) write

questions to ask the

attorneys instead of

writing briefs and at

State Assembly, sit on

the Panel and question

attorneys.

LEGISLATIVE

SUPPORTING OFFICERS

A Committee Chairman

( t h e r e a r e

approximately 30) runs

the committees they

are assigned to. The

Secretary of the

Senate/Clerk of the

House (between 4-8

people) keeps track of

the time of debate on

the floor.

LOBBYISTS/ DIRECTORS

OF LEGISLATIVE

AFFAIRS

DLAs serve their

Cabinet member with

their respective title,

speak in committees

and encourage debates

to make caucuses

happen.

• Office of the Governor • Department of Financial Services

• Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services

• Office of the Attorney General

• Department of Education

• Department of State • Department of Health • Department of Environmental Protection

• Department of Juvenile Justice

PRESS SUPPORTING

OFFICERS

The assistant editor and

the editorial board

(about 3-8 delegates)

help the editor-in-chief

with article editing and

picture selection during

State Assembly.

Movers and shakers

The D i r e c t o r s o f

Legislative Affairs are one

of the key influences of

getting a bill passed

through the House of

Representatives and the

Senate and into the

Cabinet. They work for

an Office of Legislative

Affairs for one of the

Cabinet members and

help pass bills that are

important to the office

they represent. They help

these bills pass through

the House and the

Senate by speaking on

the leg is lat ion in

committees, finding co-

sponsors and making

sure the co-sponsors are

prepared, and informing

other delegates of the bill

and who supports it. The

DLAs link the legislative

and executive branches.

They are the movers and

shakers of getting a bill

passed. If you are

interest in being a DLA,

the applications are on

the Deledex and are due

October 1st.

BY MIRA PATEL

ATTORNEY GENERAL

BY LAURA STARGEL

CHIEF OF STAFF

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