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Lawmaker to pitch winning law entry

By Daniel Casciato, FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, June 3, 2004
Stephanie Stuparitz is years away from getting her own driver's license, but she's already concerned about teenagers on the road.

The fifth-grader at Chartiers Valley Intermediate School student is this year's winner of state Rep. Tom Stevenson's "There Ought to be a Law" essay contest.

Stevenson, a Mt. Lebanon Republican, participates in the statewide contest to encourage intermediate school students to propose bills on topics of their choice. He takes the contest one step further, by introducing his winning entry on the House floor.

Stephanie, 11, of Collier, was one of about 450 entrants in Stevenson's 42nd Legislative District. She proposed limiting the number of teenage passengers allowed to ride with a junior licensed driver.

"This means that any driver, ages 16 to 18, would only be permitted to have one passenger under the age of 18 in the vehicle while he or she is driving," she wrote in her essay. "This is a good law because most fatal teenage accidents occur when there is a group of teenagers in the car."

Stephanie, her parents and two of her teachers will accompany Stevenson to the state Capitol on June 7, where her idea will be presented.

"This is exciting," she said. "I've never been to Harrisburg before, and I'm really looking forward to it."


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