Journalist Jessica Zimmerman (OU)
On Thursday, the House saw a bill that would make community service mandatory for all Oklahomans. Community service is a component of the O.I.L. competition, so volunteer work is something many delegates hold near and dear to their hearts. However, the bill sparked intense debate among the body.
Delegates discussed a variety of concerns and potential amendments to address these. Representatives asked if required labor violates the 13th amendment. They tried to sympathize with how this requirement would affect people in different careers or socioeconomic statuses.
Several amendments were suggested. Rep. Seth Young (OSU) passed a hostile amendment changing the requirement to pertain only to high school students rather than the broader Oklahoma population.
“I thought a requirement for community service was a great idea until it clicked that that was unpaid labor and probably not constitutional,” Young said. “Schools pretty much have free reign when it comes to making their students do things…what if we required high schoolers to do it?”
Young believes volunteer work is a valuable aspect of personal development. He said he thinks this should take precedence over fine arts or physical education. However, when debate was called, it became evident Young’s amendment was not enough to win full support for the bill.
Rep. Landry (OU) closed the oponancy debate. Despite her great involvement in community service, Landry was not in support of the original bill, nor the amendment.
“I myself am in a position in a social organization where I have to organize a lot of community service related things for our members,” she said. “I don’t think that logistically this would be implementable on a state-wide high school level.”
Landry fears that a high school requirement would condition students to view volunteer work as a chore.
The original version of the bill concerned Landry even more.
“It was very classist,” she said. The author mentioned ways for monetary or physical donations to take the place of volunteer work. Other representatives pointed out issues, such as lack of transportation, that could create barriers for low income citizens to complete the requirements.
Though the bill failed, many opponents acknowledged their agreement with the bill’s values. One debater said an annual state-wide volunteer day would be a better approach to encourage community service. This bill may very well pave the way for community service legislation at future sessions of O.I.L.