PHOTO BY REBECCA MILLER, STAFF
By: Rebecca Miller
Fourth graders from Blake Burkholder’s and Angie Behnfeldt’s classes joined together excitedly on Tuesday morning, February 18, 2020, ready with their prepared questions and listening to Mr. Burkholder’s reminders of how they were to act when State Senator Rob McColley addressed them.
They bounced in their seats and applauded quietly when McColley was escorted into the room by the Elementary secretary. Following a short chat with Mr. Burkholder and a posed picture with the two teachers, Senator McColley stepped to the front of the room beside a Smart Board Welcoming Sign.
He expressed to them that his desire was that by the time he left they would have their knowledge of government strengthened and that maybe some of them would consider getting involved when they grow up.
McColley is an attorney, but when his time as Senator is over, he might want to consider becoming a teacher! He had no problem at all holding the children’s attention and they were all enthusiastically involved as he led them through “what it would be like to pass a law.”
Following some general questions such as, “What are the three branches of Government?” to find out how much they knew, he launched into transforming them into a Legislature.
He named a Governor and divided the class into the House of Representatives and the Senate. He then proceeded to choose a student and walk through the process of getting a law passed.
Three different students presented a law they would like to pass to a committee of three who decided if it went on or not.
McColley had them amend the laws if they didn’t quite like it the way it was and then the committee would vote. All three happened to pass committee so were then voted on by whichever legislative branch to which it had been presented.
The House of Representatives passed an amended Free Chicken Nuggets law which was presented by Representative Luis, but when it went to the Senate, it got shot down, even with the change to 25% off instead of free.
Representative Cody presented his desire to make “No More School in Williams County” a law, with much laughter and many apologies to the teachers and administration in the room. The “Education Committee” passed it 2-1 and the House vote was 7-6, moving it on to the Senate Education Committee. They also voted 2-1 and the Senate passed the bill with a vote of 5-3, sending it on Governor Dylan who chose not to Veto, much to Cody’s joy.
In the midst of the process, students asked great questions and the learning process included the fact that the vote must have 50% plus 1 to pass, and that the Governor cannot make a law.
Senator Abby presented a bill to make everyone have 20 Accelerated Reader Points to pass a grade.
A new Senate Education Committee amended it that one would still have to pass the grade as well and it passed unanimously. The Whole Senate also voted to pass it but the House of Representatives amended it to make it only 10 AR points. At that point it was voted down by the House, 5-8, because “it was too easy.”
The animated participation and great responses of the children were guided with a gentle attitude and much wisdom by Senator McColley. When things didn’t go the direction they hoped, he would suggest the next step and keep them going, encouraging each participant to explain their hopes and complimenting them on their efforts.
The children were all well prepared with their papers for the Q and A section of the hour and politely addressed him as Senator McColley before reading their prepared questions. Over the next half hour, all present in the room, which included Superintendent Nate Johnson, Principal Dave Schultz, both 4th grade teachers and the students as well a few reporters and others who couldn’t resist wandering in off and on, learned quite a lot about the 11 county Senator.
He lives in Napoleon, leaves around 6 a.m. on Tuesdays for Columbus and gets home on Thursdays, spends the other days of the week traveling around the eleven counties which he represents and likes to try out of ordinary fast foods such as Chipotle.
When in Columbus, if he gets time to eat lunch at all, he enjoys the Buffalo Chicken Salad at the restaurant which is located in the State House.
During the rare free time, he spends it with his wife and children, with going to the zoo, camping and fishing being some of his favorite things to do. He doesn’t have any pets, has one brother, and his favorite subject in school when he was a child was Social Studies.
When he was “a kid” he dreamed of being a Sports Broadcaster, but is really happy that he gets to “participate in making the world a better place” by being involved in government.
Along the lines of being a Senator, McColley answered that presently he is working on a bill for “license reciprocity”, which would allow licenses, such as for teachers, to cross state lines, making it easier for teachers to plug into school systems when they move to different states.
The first law he got passed was funding for public and private partnerships between schools and businesses. When asked what is the most important committee he has worked on, the senator answered that he has been on the Senate Finance Committee and presently is Chairman of the Transportation, Commerce and Work Force Committee.
As far as his career, when not doing his “Senator job”, McColley is a practicing attorney and when he is no longer a Senator he will practice law more often.
He loves being a Senator and considers it a great honor to represent the people in this area. Before running for Senate, McColley was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, and served as Assistant Majority Whip while there.
In response to a student question, he explained that he was responsible to count the votes for a bill before it went to the floor for a vote. He also explained that one of the biggest differences between being in the House or the Senate, is the number o counties one represents.
“When I was elected to be in the House of Representatives, I represented three counties, but in the Senate my District has eleven counties,” he said, going on to share that trying to keep up with what is going on in eleven counties takes a lot more time and energy so he is always busy.
He also felt like it was easier to make decisions in the House as it is smaller than the Senate. When asked about his favorite days to work, he shared that it is Saturdays because on weekends he gets to attend community events such as parades, meetings honoring specific people and speaking opportunities.
One of the students who is growing up on a farm asked what the Agriculture Committee does and McColley responded that they review the bills that are submitted to them, amend them and determine which ones should move on to the Senate for a vote, much as all committees do. They cover topics such as the amount of manure allowed on a field and what to name as the state animal.
As far as being a Senator, his favorite part is getting to meet people, especially children, and doing things like this event. “Getting to help you all understand the wonderful right to participate in government, and to vote in elections, that is available to you when you grow up, is so important to me,” he said. “I recommend that you do what I do…Focus on what you are doing at the moment and Do it well.
Never limit yourself by saying ‘I never want to do this or that.” Be your best right where you are and whatever God has next for you will reveal itself when it is time.” The students gave Senator McColley a rousing Thank-you, both verbally and with applause, and gathered for a group photo with him. Mr. McColley was heard informing Mr. Burkholder to contact him in the future as he would love to come back again.
Rebecca can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com