Grenade launchers, I GOT A REAL BILL, and my fingers won't move fast enough!
Ok, so I've been through 4 days of training, lectures, and other fun stuff and the verdict is...I LOVE IT TO DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am having such a great time here - this was probably one of if not the best decision ever. I don't even know where to start, because as the title states...my fingers don't move fast enough in order to tell you everything.
Day 1:
Mostly we just had a bunch of people talk to us today. We learned about the different things the house and senate can do (bills, resolutions, and memorials) and how each one works and who needs to vote/sign/do something with each one. We also learned how to use the books to look stuff up in. Everything is in a book somewhere, it's just a matter of which book. The cool hard back books are only reprinted every 4 years (maybe 6), so they don't have everything in them. But they have pocket parts in the back that have the updates. Also, there are soft cover books that are reprinted every year and we just got our copy of those today, so that was kinda cool. The boys found all kinds of things on the shelves when they were finding somewhere to put the books. I guess everything is online too, but you can get more information more easily if you use the books...how often does that happen!?! We also talked about committees and caucus and how a bill moves through there and what we do with the bill as it moves through and pretty much what we do. I shall explain...
We start out with a bill that is being amended in someway. I summarize that bill and add any additional information the reps might need to know in a Pre-Committee Briefing that I then give to my democratic committee members at the pre-committee briefing (pcb). I think that we discuss the bills here too but I don't really know. Then we have Committee meeting where I sit and be as inconspicuous as possible. Pretty much the reps discuss all the bills and hear public testimony for and against the bills, offer any amendments to the bills that they want, and then vote on it. I sit there and take notes on my bills (the ones I summarize for PCB). Then I write any amendments wanted and summarize those for a Caucus Presentation. At Democratic caucus on tuesdays most of the dem members are there and all of dem staff and we all present our bills. Pretty much we say what the bill is and what it does, what happened in committee and then attempt to answer any questions that we can. We get back to the reps on questions we can't answer and thats it. I think they might be able to propose amendments here to that then i would have to go write and stuff but i dont know for sure. that's pretty much all i do with the bill...from there it goes on to be voted on and whatnot and i don't really know whatelse.
Ok I need to go eat now so I will write again in a little bit to fill you one on day 2,3,4, and anything else I feel like telling you. have a great night...until later...
cate
Day 1:
Mostly we just had a bunch of people talk to us today. We learned about the different things the house and senate can do (bills, resolutions, and memorials) and how each one works and who needs to vote/sign/do something with each one. We also learned how to use the books to look stuff up in. Everything is in a book somewhere, it's just a matter of which book. The cool hard back books are only reprinted every 4 years (maybe 6), so they don't have everything in them. But they have pocket parts in the back that have the updates. Also, there are soft cover books that are reprinted every year and we just got our copy of those today, so that was kinda cool. The boys found all kinds of things on the shelves when they were finding somewhere to put the books. I guess everything is online too, but you can get more information more easily if you use the books...how often does that happen!?! We also talked about committees and caucus and how a bill moves through there and what we do with the bill as it moves through and pretty much what we do. I shall explain...
We start out with a bill that is being amended in someway. I summarize that bill and add any additional information the reps might need to know in a Pre-Committee Briefing that I then give to my democratic committee members at the pre-committee briefing (pcb). I think that we discuss the bills here too but I don't really know. Then we have Committee meeting where I sit and be as inconspicuous as possible. Pretty much the reps discuss all the bills and hear public testimony for and against the bills, offer any amendments to the bills that they want, and then vote on it. I sit there and take notes on my bills (the ones I summarize for PCB). Then I write any amendments wanted and summarize those for a Caucus Presentation. At Democratic caucus on tuesdays most of the dem members are there and all of dem staff and we all present our bills. Pretty much we say what the bill is and what it does, what happened in committee and then attempt to answer any questions that we can. We get back to the reps on questions we can't answer and thats it. I think they might be able to propose amendments here to that then i would have to go write and stuff but i dont know for sure. that's pretty much all i do with the bill...from there it goes on to be voted on and whatnot and i don't really know whatelse.
Ok I need to go eat now so I will write again in a little bit to fill you one on day 2,3,4, and anything else I feel like telling you. have a great night...until later...
cate