Joseph Confer, a sophomore at Northampton Area High School and a member of the Young Politicians Club, pulled off a few political tricks of his own. Based on his written request, state Rep. Marcia Hahn, R-138th, showed up for his meeting Dec. 13, 2019, even though no one in the audience is old enough to vote.

Hahn scratched the surface on how the legislative branch of the state works. She gave the highly interested students a glimpse of her trajectory in politics, starting with her initial work for various state representatives and culminating with her victory as a candidate.

She lightly explained some of the ongoing discussions in the legislature surrounding school funding. There is a large disparity in school taxes across the state, and some of the proposals are geared to the high tax areas like the Lehigh Valley and the lower cost areas in the western part of the state and Philadelphia.

“We have been wrestling with how to fund schools for years. If you look back in Pennsylvania history, you will see there have always been questions on how to best fund schools,” she said.

Hahn, as she described herself, is a moderate. Although she runs as a Republican, she is willing to work on legislation that makes sense for her district.

“I was told by my mentor that you vote the way your district wants you to vote,” she said.

Knowing what the district wants means keeping the information flowing from voters.

Hahn described the frustrating process of getting a bill passed.

“We need 102 people to agree on the bill, so there is a lot of compromise that happens,” she said. “And even then, we still need to get half of the senators to agree and the governor.”

Hahn, as do all political candidates, wants to see more participation from younger students. She even offered students opportunities to work with her legislative staff.