____ The Legislative Department at [[The Young Leaders Program]] teaches students about the process a bill takes in order to become law. Students are able to write their own laws that can be voted on and implemented into the Simulation. ____ # Department Overview The Legislative Department is home to [[The United States of Price Legislature]]. The Legislature is one of the three branches of government for [[The United States of Price]] and functions much like the United States of America Congress. The Legislature is tasked with creating, writing, debating, and passing laws. Typically, while [[The Simulation]] is in session, The United States of Price is home to a *Unicameral Legislature* meaning there is only one voting body, compared to The United State of America, which has two; the House of Representatives, and the Senate.  ## Staff The Legislative Department is led by [[Frances Vail]], the Director of the Legislative Department. Frances has been in charge of running the Legislature since 2021. # Simulation Interaction ## How to Join Each state and territory of The United States of Price has 1-2 representatives in the Legislature. Each representative is elected by the individuals who live in the state. At the start of camp every year, elections are held for the Legislature.  ## What You Will Learn and Do Members of the Legislature go through “New Member Orientation” where they learn how a bill becomes a law, how a budget bill is different from policy bills, how to write bills and what to consider when bill drafting, what a political party is, and the proper procedures of formal debate in a Legislature.  Representatives will have the opportunity to write bills, volunteer to take on leadership roles by serving as Chair on committees, and work with other members to address problems and issues arising in The United States of Price.  A main priority of the Legislature is to pass a daily budget. The budget dictates how much The United States of Price government employees are paid, how much money each state gets for certain projects, as well as how much money goes towards projects in the capital city, [[McKinley D.H.]].  The Unicameral body is also tasked with approving presidential appointments to key executive roles such as the Secretary of State and Treasurer.  #### How A Bill Becomes A Law Inside [[The Simulation]], every bill must go through the same steps to become a law. Any one in The United States of Price can write a law but only members of the Legislature can introduce a law to Congress and start the process.  1. Idea creation (either an idea for a new law or a change to an existing one) 2. Write the bill 3. The bill is introduced to the Legislature and assigned to a committee 4. The committee hears testimony from the public, makes any wanted changes, and then votes on the bill. 5. If the bill passes committee, it is then put before the entire Legislature.  6. All members debate the bill and then vote on the legislation.  7. If the bill receives a majority of votes, it is then sent to the President of the United States of Price for approval and to sign it into law.  > [!abstract] Read More > To learn more about The Legislative Department at The Young Leaders Program, read some of the suggested linked pages below: > > - [[The United States of Price Legislature]] > - [[The Constitution of The United States of Price]] > - [[An Overview & Table of Contents - USP Code of Laws]] >