Lake County Gazette

Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry) hosted the second part of her Youth Advisory Council (YAC) recently, giving 25 students from her district the opportunity to learn about state government, including public policy and the legislative process.

“This is such a great group of kids who are truly engaged in what’s going on in the world and who are looking to make a difference,” Althoff said. “I hope this program furthered their interest in public policy, and I hope they walked away with a better sense of the legislative process here in Illinois.”

The program featured two events that had students discuss, propose and vote on legislation.The students first developed ideas for legislation and advanced one mock bill on redistricting reform, then heard from a series of guest speakers before holding a mock committee hearing debating their redistricting legislation.

“Reforming the redistricting process is one of the most important issues facing Illinois taxpayers today,” Jack Franks, McHenry County Board chairman and one of the event speakers, said. “Seeing this critical mass of young people actively investigating better alternatives than our current system gives me a lot of hope that we will see real changes in the near future. Sen. Althoff deserves a lot of credit for encouraging the growth of the next generation of local leaders; it will make McHenry County a better place in the years and decades to come.”