Changing Gears in Augusta
June 5, 2009 -
On May 21st, the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee concluded all of our bills and work for the session. Since that date, my schedule in Augusta has drastically changed. The routine from early January until May 21st was: morning Senate session from 10-12:30 two or three times a week; then I would chair the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee four times a week; then one day of Insurance and Financial Services Committee work.
Now, my schedule is spent with my fellow Senate Democrats discussion upcoming bills and in the Senate Chambers voting. The change is dramatic on many fronts. As the co-chair of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, I was directing the schedule, it was less formal, and we would spend hours discussing the finer points of bills. Now, I spend hours and hours with my fellow Democratic Senators learning about some of the most contentious bills. These are called Divided Reports, and through these meetings, I gain invaluable insight on how to vote. We then spend hours on the Senate floor debating and casting our votes.
I have enjoyed my time on the Senate floor both listening to my colleagues and giving speeches for and against pending bills. Still, I find the speed at which we are moving through the hundreds of bills in the final weeks mind-boggling. It is just so hard to predict which divided bills will pass without any dialogue, versus others that we debate for hours.
