Tuesday marked a homecoming of sorts for state Rep. Renee Kosel (R-New Lenox), who spent the day briefing Lincoln-Way High School civics classes on life in the General Assembly.
Kosel, who served for 13 years on the Lincoln-Way School Board before her election to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1996, outlined the grass-roots legislative process and urged political involvement.
“I’d like to see (high school students) get involved (in politics),” she said.
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Why pay attention to the political process? As one student phrased it, “We’re going to be 18 someday. We’re going to have to vote.”
But students do not have to wait until their 18th birthdays for laws to touch their lives, Kosel said.
A statute that took effect Jan. 1 imposes restrictions on driver’s licensing for teens.
Despite the fact that the law targeted young drivers, “I did not get one letter from one teen,” Kosel said.
Teens and lawmakers have something in common, she noted. Just as with youngsters, politicians are labeled and stereotyped, she said. Republicans and Democrats can form alliances.
“Ninety percent of issues don’t break on party lines,” she said. Economics or geography or gender can have as much influence on a vote as party membership.
Most state representatives do not spend their time duking it out over philosophical differences, she said: “You agree to disagree. You don’t make permanent enemies.”
Successful legislation requires compromise, she said.
“Nobody’s going to come out shouting, `I won, I won, I won,’ ” she said.
When the state legislature is in session, Kosel’s day begins at her office, where she reads messages before the lobbyists drop in to talk about various legislation.
Then there is a meeting at which political parties outline their strategies before moving onto the floor of the legislative chamber, known as “the blue zoo” in honor of its color scheme and activity level.
After bills are read and votes are taken, legislators move on to committee meetings “where the real work happens . . . where problems are ironed out.”
And the work day often extends into the evenings, with receptions planned by groups who want to express their views on matters before the legislature.
Youngsters formed impressions of Kosel’s duties.
The state representative’s job is “rigid, but it’s not as rigid and it’s not as glorious as it seems,” said Lori Heidemann, 17, of Frankfort.