DC3 Service Learning Class Turns Ideas Into Legislation

Published April 21, 2026

Kansas Rep. Jason Goetz speaks to students in the Service Learning class at Dodge City Community College about how their proposed animal abuse offender registry bill would move through the legislative process.

Kansas Rep. Jason Goetz brought the legislative process into focus for students at Dodge City Community College (DC3), offering a real world look at how ideas become law and reinforcing lessons already taking shape in the classroom.

Goetz visited DC3’s Service-Learning class on March 30, where students are developing their own proposed legislation. Walking them through each stage, from drafting and committee review to debate, amendments and final approval, he emphasized the complexity behind every bill and the collaboration required to move it forward.

For many students, the visit reshaped their understanding of government.

Francesco Pennacchio, freshman, Orbassano, Italy, said, “One thing that really surprised me from Rep. Goetz’s visit was how much talking and compromise actually goes into making laws. I always thought people mostly just stuck to their own opinions, but it sounds like there’s a lot more discussion and working together than I expected.”

Pennacchio also said working on the bill made him realize that making laws is a lot more complicated than he expected.

“It’s not just coming up with an idea,” he said. “It takes a lot of research, careful wording, and thinking about how it would work in real life. I didn’t realize how important small details are or how much teamwork is involved in the process.”

Focusing their efforts on a proposed animal abuse offender registry in Kansas, the service-learning students are being challenged to think critically about public safety and accountability.

“The most challenging part for me has been turning my idea into something realistic that could actually work as a law,” Pennacchio said. “I also had to think more about real world impacts, which made the process more difficult but also more interesting.”

Oscar Leal, freshman, Donna, Texas, echoed that sentiment, pointing to the realities of collaboration.

“Rep. Goetz’s visit surprised me because I didn’t realize how much people have to work together to get anything done. I always thought it was more simple, but there’s a lot of discussion and compromise,” Leal said.

The class, led by Jay Gooldy, Assistant Professor of English, centers on hands-on civic engagement and teaches his students that although lawmaking is complex and collaborative, it is also within reach.

“I hope students understand that they can make a difference. It’s not always easy, but good things can happen if you are on the right side of an issue,” he said. “Students have found the personal interests of other non-invested parties can often get in the way of things that are an overall good for society.”

As the project moves forward, students will spend the summer and fall semesters actively promoting their proposed legislation, reaching out to candidates, allied groups, organizations and current lawmakers across Kansas to build support.

By the start of the next legislative session in January, those efforts will culminate at the state Capitol, where students will travel to Topeka and step into a leading role as the public face of the bill, advocating for the policy they have worked to research, develop and refine.

By Alba Gutierrez-Ortiz
DC3 Marketing and Media Specialist