By Susanna Ray
Herald Writer
OLYMPIA — Some precocious political savvy might pay off for a few Snohomish High School seniors hoping to be the first in their school to make new state laws.
Faced with the annual government class assignment of writing a bill, Peter Hennessy, 17, Daniel Marx, 17, and Jim Musladin, 18, kicked around the idea of making schools buy software to print postage stamps, which they figured would eventually save school districts a lot of money.
"But first you’d have to spend money (for the software), and since it’s a tight budget year, we figured something for free would get further," Musladin said Thursday, wisely acknowledging the state’s $1.3 billion budget hole.
So instead they decided to honor the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by writing a bill encouraging schools to observe annual moments of silence to make sure younger generations don’t forget the tragedy.
They found a willing sponsor in Sen. Paull Shin, D-Mukilteo, who told them his story of growing up in Korea and gave them a copy of a patriotic poem he’d written.
And they found a willing audience in the members of the Senate Education Committee, who passed their bill, SB6650, out of committee late Thursday. It still has a ways to go before becoming law, however; it has to pass a full House vote and then start the same process again in the Senate.
But after testifying before the committee in Olympia on Thursday afternoon, the three boys, dressed in suits and ties, said their success so far has surprised them.
"We didn’t think anyone would say no, but we didn’t think it would get this much attention," Marx said.
They drove to Olympia on their own in two cars, bringing five friends with them for support, but no teachers. Since their government class ended last month, their trip didn’t even make them eligible for extra credit.
"We’re just doing this for fun, hoping to get a job as a lobbyist," joked Hennessy, who had been up until 3:30 a.m. typing his testimony.
Another Snohomish High trio drove to Olympia for the same kind of fun Thursday night.
Meghan Hunt, 19, Sean Matthews, 17, and Adam Templeton, 18, testified before the House State Government Committee, hoping legislators will pass their HB2797 by today’s committee cutoff.
The bill they wrote would declare the orca whale the state mammal.
"We really consider the orca whale a valuable symbol of our state culture, so we want to raise awareness and appreciation," said Matthews, who is president of his school’s environmental club.
For several years, Tuck Gionet, the school’s government teacher, has been instructing his students on the whole process of legislation. So far, none of the student bills have made it into law, but he is optimistic that this year’s students will be successful.
"I think it’s great," Gionet said. "It makes them realize that politics and government isn’t some far-fetched thing they can never participate in. They get pretty charged up going down to Olympia thinking that someone’s going to listen to them."
Of course, getting to Olympia from Snohomish through Seattle traffic can prove trying to the students.
"Washington state has a traffic problem," Templeton deadpanned.
But maybe Gionet’s students will become commuters’ saviors.
"That’s our next project," Hunt said. "Watch out — we know how to write bills. We’re coming back."
You can call Herald Writer Susanna Ray at 360-586-3803 or send e-mail to ray@heraldnet.com.
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