It's Gettin' Hot in Here!

I know it has been over a week since my last post, but a lot of what I wanted to tell you last week had to go public first before I could blurt it out over the internet. On Monday, I had to write my first Bill Resolution instead of going to my usual Education committee meeting. There are three types of resolutions: Joint, Concurrent, and Simple. Now I don't want to bore you with a bunch of terms, because this is a fun blog, but informational as well. So to sum it all up, resolutions are also legislation, but unlike bills they may be limited in effect to the Congress or one of its chambers. Simple resolutions relate to the operations of a single chamber or express the collective opinion of that chamber on public policy issues. Concurrent resolutions relate to the operations of Congress, including both chambers, or express the collective opinion of both chambers on public policy issues. Unlike simple and concurrent resolutions, joint resolutions are considered to have the same effect as bills and require the approval of the President. However, only joint resolutions may be used to propose amendments to the Constitution, and in this instance do not require the approval of the President. So that is all I will say on that for now, because the rest of course is "confidential until further notice."

The best part of working at the Capitol is all the people and events held at the Capitol.

I always try to take part in events and ask others what is going on. The picture above was an informational about a house bill that effected healthcare, and doctors and nurses came to get information to see if they should protest or not. I have been interning for over a month and it never ceases to amaze me at how many protests I have watched. Whether it's firefighters or illegal immigrants, there is always something going on. Wisconsin has set the bar high for many other citizens in the U.S. to protest and be heard. If it can happen in Wisconsin, it can happen in Oklahoma.

Onto yesterday. Now the title of today's blog is "It's Gettin Hot in Here" and in the Senate Chamber at the Capitol, it is. Yesterday was their "Double-assigned Senate Bills Reported from 2nd committee Deadline." Now all that means is that the bills that made it out of committee must be voted on so if they pass, they go over to the House and they vote. Oklahoma is kind of backwards with the way they pass legislation, but I guess it works. Sometimes watching the Senators on the Floor, is like watching the stock market when it is time to vote.

3 hours we were on the floor sitting and watching. Funny thing is when you first go into the Senate Chamber it is so frosty and cold, but once tempers start to flare, I begin to take off my suit jacket and roll my sleeves up because it gets HOT! I enjoy watching the meetings and watching Senators from different districts come together and vote on issues.

I had to do a lot of running around for Senators during the session. Like running papers to the basement to get filed, getting papers from their desks they forgot, and of course a glass of water or a cup of coffee. I make a mean cup of Folgers coffee (So I have been to told). I have fun interning at the Capitol and meeting lawmakers of the state, but I also enjoy learning about how our law is different from Missouri, Texas, etc. Normally I leave you with an "an act now" message but today I want to change it up.

If you ever get to see both the House Chambers and the Senate Chambers look at both chambers carpet and the security guards jacket. On the House side, the carpet and security guard jackets are Green, and on the Senate side, the carpet and security guard jackets are maroon. Legend has it that In England, before the British came to America they separated their government by color (green and red), so they kept the tradition when they came to America. I don't how true that it, but the only way to find out, is to visit another State Capitol. Just a fun fact I thought you should know!