Good Morning!
Hope everyone had a good weekend! Today has been off to a slow start for me which I can appreciate since I am exhausted for really no reason. My Natural Resources committee is canceled but my Workforce and Commerce committee will meet so i'll let you guys know how that meeting goes. These last weeks have been very busy and controversial at the Senate with some big bills being pushed through. One of the first was a bill that increased the allotted time that a police department can withhold the name of an officer after an officer-involved fatal shooting to 3 months. Watching the testimonies was very interesting since I got to watch members of the NAACP speak about their apprehension to this bill. I have always appreciated this group and the work they do for civil rights so it was very monumental for me to see them in action. There was also a bill on police body cams which brought out hundreds of officers from all around Arizona. Unfortunately they didn't seem too happy about having to wear these, though they are already used in places like Havasu, so immediately after the bill passed they all rose and walked out. The last real bill that made a great impression on me had to do with the treatment of officers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, following an event that happened during the line of duty. During the hearing, a wife gave her testimony by reading the suicide letter of her late ex-husband who severely suffered from the disorder. Watching this was heart-wrenching and I can tell the whole room literally struggled to hold back tears. I definitely think my favorite part of the committee meetings is hearing the testimonies since you get to hear first hand the people that are and will be effected by the legislation (or lack of).
Okay thats all for today folks!
~Chandler
Monday, February 23, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
A Great Day to be a Senate Page
Hey guys,
So the punchline to every awkward/funny thing that has happened so far today is that it is "a great day to be a Senate Page", hence the title. We've also been brainstorming ideas for a parody musical since my co-workers are dead-set on the idea the things we go through are not only comedic but should be seen by the world. With that being said, I love my co-workers they definitely make my shifts hilarious as well as productive in that I learn something new from them everyday.
In terms of the Senate, this has definitely been a busy week, my Natural Resources committee on Monday had 3 bills while my second committee Workforce Development and Commerce had about 10. My first committee was very cute, there was a middle school class that came in to propose a bill that they formulated about adding copper to the state seal since it is a part of 5 C's. In case you don't remember, the 5 C's are Copper, Climate, Cattle, Citrus, and Cotton, which are important to the states heritage. It was very cute/funny listening the the kids testimony's, one of which started his introduction by saying his name then stating that he didn't know where he was from. In opposition, my second committee meeting was very serious, and had an audience of about a hundred brewery owners, almost evenly split, and debating two bills of legislation. This meeting started around 2 and I am not sure when it ended because I had to leave at 5. I was supposed to be off at 4 but got so wrapped up in the debate that I didn't realize how much time had past. This was my first time really experiencing a controversial meeting, so it was very interesting and really drastically increased my interest in policy-making and the whole legislative process. This meeting also included a lot of water runs and some Senators even snuck bags of chips which is totally understandable being that they were in meetings since floor session at 1:30. It's really interesting now that the speed of this session is picking up and I am interested to see the other bills that will be proposed.
So the punchline to every awkward/funny thing that has happened so far today is that it is "a great day to be a Senate Page", hence the title. We've also been brainstorming ideas for a parody musical since my co-workers are dead-set on the idea the things we go through are not only comedic but should be seen by the world. With that being said, I love my co-workers they definitely make my shifts hilarious as well as productive in that I learn something new from them everyday.
In terms of the Senate, this has definitely been a busy week, my Natural Resources committee on Monday had 3 bills while my second committee Workforce Development and Commerce had about 10. My first committee was very cute, there was a middle school class that came in to propose a bill that they formulated about adding copper to the state seal since it is a part of 5 C's. In case you don't remember, the 5 C's are Copper, Climate, Cattle, Citrus, and Cotton, which are important to the states heritage. It was very cute/funny listening the the kids testimony's, one of which started his introduction by saying his name then stating that he didn't know where he was from. In opposition, my second committee meeting was very serious, and had an audience of about a hundred brewery owners, almost evenly split, and debating two bills of legislation. This meeting started around 2 and I am not sure when it ended because I had to leave at 5. I was supposed to be off at 4 but got so wrapped up in the debate that I didn't realize how much time had past. This was my first time really experiencing a controversial meeting, so it was very interesting and really drastically increased my interest in policy-making and the whole legislative process. This meeting also included a lot of water runs and some Senators even snuck bags of chips which is totally understandable being that they were in meetings since floor session at 1:30. It's really interesting now that the speed of this session is picking up and I am interested to see the other bills that will be proposed.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
The Senate
Hey guys,
I've realized that I haven't given a thorough explanation of where I intern and what they do, for those who aren't really aware of the legislative process. As you guys know I work at the Senate which is pretty much home to the 30 current Arizona Senators during the legislative session. This session opened in January and is expected to last until May. During this period for the most part the Senators hear, discuss/debate, and decide whether or not to pass proposed bills. They are integral in the formation of new laws and policy. My previous posts make it pretty clear what I do for the Senators, which put shortly is all the minimal tasks that work together to make their lives/job a tad bit easier. This also allows me to get a front row seat to the legislative process and the many steps it takes to get a bill passed.
Today was a very interesting day for bill proposals one of the major being a bill to prohibit photo radar for speeding. There was a huge crowd of people in the audience as well as lots of speakers on both sides of the argument. There will be another bill proposal today about texting and driving which I expect to be equally popular and controversial. There was also tons of media outside so don't mind me if you see me in the background of some of your news channel broadcasts at the Capitol.
Okay,Bye!
~Chandler
I've realized that I haven't given a thorough explanation of where I intern and what they do, for those who aren't really aware of the legislative process. As you guys know I work at the Senate which is pretty much home to the 30 current Arizona Senators during the legislative session. This session opened in January and is expected to last until May. During this period for the most part the Senators hear, discuss/debate, and decide whether or not to pass proposed bills. They are integral in the formation of new laws and policy. My previous posts make it pretty clear what I do for the Senators, which put shortly is all the minimal tasks that work together to make their lives/job a tad bit easier. This also allows me to get a front row seat to the legislative process and the many steps it takes to get a bill passed.
Today was a very interesting day for bill proposals one of the major being a bill to prohibit photo radar for speeding. There was a huge crowd of people in the audience as well as lots of speakers on both sides of the argument. There will be another bill proposal today about texting and driving which I expect to be equally popular and controversial. There was also tons of media outside so don't mind me if you see me in the background of some of your news channel broadcasts at the Capitol.
Okay,Bye!
~Chandler
Monday, February 2, 2015
A Typical Day @ The Senate
Goodmorning!
Today's blog post I am going to walk you guys through a typical day at the Senate in which starts bright and early at 7 AM. Actually, there is not really anything bright about 7 AM but the angel on top of the Capitol Building.
Well me and my other 2 co-workers that come in at that time start by going to the Coffee Shop and replenishing coffee machines, ice tea, and all the other condiments. Such a hard task, I know (also helps that we get unlimited free coffee). Around 8 we are joined by the rest of our co-workers and the "real" work day begins by setting up for committee meetings that start at 9. This involves me and a coworker putting out nameplates, setting up a projector if need be, and the gavel. A little closer to 9 we head up to the Senators offices who are chair members of the committee and see if they would like us to bring down any laptops or other materials. We get the hearing room all set up then proceed to sit in on the meetings in case we are needed. So far the longest my meetings have lasted was about an hour but I am sure this will change as the session progresses. Also during the meetings the Senators will kind of signal if they need something by slightly raising their hand. The awkward part is that we are supposed to pretty much be invisible during this whole ordeal, so we have to make our way up to the front in the most subtle way as possible and take a knee next to them in order to see what they want. My first times doing this were pretty awkward but we all have accepted this and it's actually not too bad. It also gives us time to walk around and wake ourselves back up since some of the speeches aren't that interesting. After the meetings we return laptops and retrieve all materials and typically wait around in the office running errands until lunch. After lunch is the floor session in which we all attend, as well as all the present Senators. These sessions usually don't last long and include a prayer, the pledge of allegiance, roll call, introduction of visitors, and what committee meetings are scheduled for the next day. On Monday's I have two committees, the second meets after floor session and the challenge is that some of the chair members want their laptops at both floor session and the committee meeting that starts right after. After floor session it is pretty much a race to retrieve laptops and get them them to the hearing room before the Senators arrive which is pretty fun. After committee, the rest of the day is spent in the office doing homework until the phone rings and someone needs an errand. Though the tasks seem minimal, it is fun because we get to do them together and we're always on the move. This internship also allows ample amount of time between errands to get homework done which definitely helps me be a more productive student. My work day ends at 4 PM and though this might seem like a long day, it flies by which I really appreciate :)
Okay that's all for today!
~Chandler
Today's blog post I am going to walk you guys through a typical day at the Senate in which starts bright and early at 7 AM. Actually, there is not really anything bright about 7 AM but the angel on top of the Capitol Building.
Well me and my other 2 co-workers that come in at that time start by going to the Coffee Shop and replenishing coffee machines, ice tea, and all the other condiments. Such a hard task, I know (also helps that we get unlimited free coffee). Around 8 we are joined by the rest of our co-workers and the "real" work day begins by setting up for committee meetings that start at 9. This involves me and a coworker putting out nameplates, setting up a projector if need be, and the gavel. A little closer to 9 we head up to the Senators offices who are chair members of the committee and see if they would like us to bring down any laptops or other materials. We get the hearing room all set up then proceed to sit in on the meetings in case we are needed. So far the longest my meetings have lasted was about an hour but I am sure this will change as the session progresses. Also during the meetings the Senators will kind of signal if they need something by slightly raising their hand. The awkward part is that we are supposed to pretty much be invisible during this whole ordeal, so we have to make our way up to the front in the most subtle way as possible and take a knee next to them in order to see what they want. My first times doing this were pretty awkward but we all have accepted this and it's actually not too bad. It also gives us time to walk around and wake ourselves back up since some of the speeches aren't that interesting. After the meetings we return laptops and retrieve all materials and typically wait around in the office running errands until lunch. After lunch is the floor session in which we all attend, as well as all the present Senators. These sessions usually don't last long and include a prayer, the pledge of allegiance, roll call, introduction of visitors, and what committee meetings are scheduled for the next day. On Monday's I have two committees, the second meets after floor session and the challenge is that some of the chair members want their laptops at both floor session and the committee meeting that starts right after. After floor session it is pretty much a race to retrieve laptops and get them them to the hearing room before the Senators arrive which is pretty fun. After committee, the rest of the day is spent in the office doing homework until the phone rings and someone needs an errand. Though the tasks seem minimal, it is fun because we get to do them together and we're always on the move. This internship also allows ample amount of time between errands to get homework done which definitely helps me be a more productive student. My work day ends at 4 PM and though this might seem like a long day, it flies by which I really appreciate :)
Okay that's all for today!
~Chandler
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