No More Leashes!

By: Alana Hampton-Vaughn and Edom Ermias

Once upon a time in a town named Dogsville, there were 2 dogs named Clifford and T-Bone. Clifford and T-Bone were best friends who always went on walks together because their owners were best friends too. Every day they go to the dog park and play with other dogs.

One day when they were about to leave the park, Clifford realized something. "Look at all the dogs running around freely," he said, "Wouldn't it be nice if we got to do that all the time?" T-Bone said, "That's a good idea! We should set up a meeting at your house to get the other dogs to agree."

So the next morning all the dogs in the neighborhood met up in Clifford's backyard. T-Bone told everyone about their plan and they all agreed. One dog said, "I think Clifford and T-Bone should be the ones to fly to Washington D.C. to make it happen." Everyone agreed and they made their way to the airport.

Clifford and T-Bone made it to the airport the next day for their free flight to Washington D.C. They were super nervous but they were sure they were going to make the law happen.

Once they landed in D.C., Clifford and T-Bone went to the White House. T-Bone said, "Wow! It looks so nice in person. Wait, don't they make the laws in the Capital dome?" Clifford said, "Oh yeah, let's go there then."

They arrived at Capital dome because that's where Congress passes laws. When they were about to enter, they saw a girl named Elizabeth walking her dog and they talked her about their plan. Just so happen she is part of the Senate and she plans to introduce this at the next meeting.

Elizabeth explains to Clifford and T-Bone the process of how a bill becomes a law. "As soon as a bill is introduced, it is referred to a committee. At this point the bill is examined carefully and its chances for passage are first determined. If the committee does not act on a bill, the bill is "dead."

The Committee started to review the bill and then they went into hearing. The hearings give the opportunity to hear the opinions of executive officials, public officials, and people who oppose and support the bill.

The hearings were done and the subcommittee decided that there didn't need any amendments to the bill. The subcommittee reports it to the full committee after checking for any changes. Usually, bills die in committee but Clifford and T-Bone got lucky.