I Created a New Law

You might think you’re too young to change how our government works. It’s not true. I’m Lily Kay, and I live in Greenland Hills, Texas. I helped get a bill signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott!

Two years ago, when I was in fourth grade, I visited a bunch of national parks with my family. Under the Every Kid Outdoors program, fourth-graders and their families get into national parks for free.

That trip got me wondering if there was a similar program for kids to visit Texas state parks. I found out there wasn’t.

So I wrote a letter to my state representative Morgan Meyer. I asked him to introduce a bill that would give fifth-graders and their families free passes to Texas state parks. I decided on fifth-graders because we learn about Texas history in fourth grade. If we got free passes the next year, we could see the things we learned about—like the battlefields of Goliad and San Jacinto.

Fortunately, Representative Meyer liked my idea and introduced the bill. Last year, he asked me to speak in front of other lawmakers to explain my idea. I gladly accepted and spoke before two different committees in April and May.

Along the way, the bill was reviewed by the Texas Senate and House of Representatives. Finally, in June 2019, it was signed into law! It was a lot of work, but I kept thinking about the big difference I was making for families in Texas!

I’d like to encourage all kids to dream big—even if your idea seems crazy.