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Check out the 2024 Bill Resource Guide!

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A bill is a piece of legislation written by a delegate identifying a statewide problem and outlining a direct action for the legislative body to take to mitigate the issue. Bills that are signed into law can affect the everyday lives of the people of New Jersey and serve as the fuel for legislative debate. Every bill must follow a set structure which includes a title, enactment clause, body, statement of intent, and effective date. 

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• The title of the bill states the sponsors and cosponsors as well as a short summary of what the act is relating to or repealing.

• The enactment clause states the intended purpose of the bill upon it being enacted. The body details the text of the legislation. It does the “work” of the bill. There is to be separate numbered sections for each major action the bill calls for.

• The statement of intent begins with the phrase “The purpose of this bill is …” and then describes what is hoped to be accomplished by the bill. This section can be used to provide the author’s personal justification as to why the bill is important and needed.

• The author’s note provides any information that does not fit into any of the other sections but is pertinent to the bill. This is an excellent opportunity to clarify any vague portions of the legislation, such as reasoning for a high cost of implementation or rationale about an otherwise unclear segment

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An outstanding bill focuses on one specific idea that is important to the state of New Jersey; it is well-researched, debatable, and confidently delivered. A sample bill can be viewed by clicking here:        . 

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Bill Requirements

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All Bills submitted to the Program must be done by the following:

• Bills must be submitted online 

• Bills must be typed in the aforementioned format in the online bill submission application.

• Bills should not exceed two (2) pages

• Bill not received by the deadline will NOT be included 

• The Program Staff reserves the right to exclude inappropriate bills.

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Bill Strengthening Group (BSG) Sessions

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After the conclusion of the Pre-Legislative Session, students are encouraged to sign up for Bill Strengthening Group Sessions during the two weeks leading up to the final Bill Submission on April 2nd, 2023.  BSGs are 30-60 minute sessions run by the Committee Chair and have 3-5 delegates attend.  The more intimate session allows more direct interaction between the Officer and Delegate, as well as affording Delegates an opportunity to get to know other Delegates in their Committee prior to Conference.

 

The following is the focus of BSGs during the two week run time:

 

Week 1 of BSGs (March 20-26th)

• Helping to flush out Bill Topics for students who have yet to write their bill

• Asking questions that help Delegates think more critically about the pros and cons of their bill

• Ensuring accuracy/adherence to Bill writing guidelines

• Getting feedback from other Delegates regarding their bill topic

 

Week 2 of BSGs (March 27th - April 2nd)

• Assisting in the presentation of a Delegate’s Bill

• Ensuring Delegates have a thought out / written out Opening Statement and Summation for their Bill

• Helping to strengthen the arguments for and combating against those arguments against

• Getting feedback from other Delegates regarding their bill presentation

• Open the floor for any Co-Sponsor support as needed

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