In the last edition, we welcomed you to the 2023 Youth Legislature Conference and introduced several conference leaders. In this post, we will also introduce our Secretary of State and Head Lobbyist.
Secretary of State Isabella Ritchey
By Maddie Morgan (Cherokee County)
The Secretary of State for the 2023 Youth Legislature Conference is Isabella Ritchey, a junior at Spain Park High School. Isabella first made her way into Youth in Government by joining the law academy at her high school, where several of the upperclassmen informed her about the details of the program. She started out in Youth Judicial, and later learned about the legislative part of the ALYIG program. Isabella has an interest in law, and she hopes to go into the educational law field after she graduates from high school. As Secretary of State, she communicates with leaders in the different chambers and the lobbyists. They tell her about the bill rankings so she can make the chamber calendars. She works closely with the governor, talking with her about which passed bills the governor signs into law and which ones the governor vetoes.
Head Lobbyist Caley Record
By Aubree Sipsy (Cherokee County)
Caley Record
The head lobbyist for the 2023 Youth Legislature Conference is Caley Record. She is a senior at Mountain Brook High School. She was introduced to Youth in Government by her brother and her freshman year teacher. Caley is passionate about the lobbyist group this year and hopes in the future it can grow larger. The lobbyists pick which legislation is most important to them and try to push that bill in the chamber. Lobbyists are sometimes seen standing outside the chamber passing out fact sheets, or inside the chamber advocating for or against a bill.