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
Hi Chandler,
ReplyDeleteYah, the topics you mentioned are very interesting! I was somewhat familiar with the issues of police officers wearing body cameras, but the bill to withhold officer's name is one I wasn't aware of - Thanks for sharing.
You have to keep us posted if you are aware of the outcomes. I had a chance to attend a city council meeting once last year and it was extremely interesting. One citizen in particular approached the podium and gave Mayor Greg Stanton and his councilmen a mouthful over some of the issues.
I guess the important thing that I gather from your post is the importance of citizens knowing the power of civic engagement. There are many residents of communities that are not even aware of such processes like city council meeting etc.
Great post, thanks for sharing!
Chandler,
ReplyDeleteYour work at the Senate sounds so interesting! I can only imagine how difficult it must be to hear the testimonies of some of these people, especially of the wife of that officer who committed suicide. I know there has been a ton of controversy about police having to wear body cameras lately, so it must have been really interesting to hear that controversy happen right in front of you.
Did you happen to be on the Senate floor, second in line, on the right-hand side from the gallery view? It looked like it may have been you, but I couldn't get close enough to tell!
ReplyDeleteHey, Charlie!
DeleteI am almost sure that was me, how funny! Next time if you are able to after floor session definitely come say Hi! :)