Bill's Journey

 Bill's Journey

    Darrell and Keenan were partners in a social studies project to show how state laws were made. "Let's make a movie that shows how a bill becomes a law," Keenan told Darrell.

    The next day, Darrell and Keenan planned their movie. They showed the major steps in how a bill becomes law. "First, somebody writes a bill," Darrell said. Keenan quickly wrote the steps in a notebook. “Next, a committee studies the bill, and after that, a majority in the House of Representatives and a majority in the Senate approve the bill. Then the governor signs the bill, and it becomes law.”

    The boys planned the movie's plot. They would have a friend wear a poster board on which was written the summary of a bill. The camera would closely follow the bill through each step.

    That night, Keenan told his parents about the boys' plans. Keenan's mother offered to ask a friend who worked with a state senator if the boys could tape their movie in the state capitol building.

    A week later, Darrell, Keenan, and the cast taped their movie at the capitol. Bill played his part with pride. In the final scene, he stood perfectly still with a serious expression as the governor signed him into law.