Children And Youth Legislative Breakfast Friday

The Upper Cumberland Council on Children and Youth will hold its annual Legislative Breakfast Friday to inform the public and connect community partners.

Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth Regional Coordinator Kristi Paling said legislators will be present to share how the session is playing out. She said the title of this year’s event is “Civics in Action.” She said she hopes attendees gain a stronger understanding of how legislation happens and how they can create change.

“It’s just one of our highlighted events for the year for the Upper Cumberland Council because it is just a wonderful exchange of information,” Paling said. “And people do walk away with more knowledge about the legislative process and what’s going on in state government in our current times.”

Paling said the attendees will be able to ask district legislators questions about bills they have signed and hear the thought process behind those bills. She said communication with legislators can be challenging during the legislative session, so this could be a rare opportunity to learn about the bills that could come into effect soon.

The breakfast begins at 8:30am at the Upper Cumberland Development District.

“We are always hopeful that they are focused on the children’s wellbeing,” Paling said. “Bills that pertain to families, and of course we advocate for that.”

She said former State Representative Diane Black will address the group, and an Avery Trace Middle School student will be honored for winning the Tennessee Civics Essay competition. She said she hopes to see some youthful faces attend and become educated on the importance of voting and what civic duty truly means in their lives.

“It’s just a wonderful interchange between our legislators and our attendees,” Paling said. “It is open to the public. We’ll have our council members present and various other community partners that will be present in addition to our legislators.”