Photo by psbphotography: Self portrait in the office
What a full week this has been! Going into February, there’s so much I have begun to work on: drafting sections of our E-news, researching Black History in Alaska, and working on understanding the House bill making process. All these things have introduced me to different aspects of legislation which I have been enjoying.
Starting off with the E-news; I am very comfortable with doing research so finding material for the E-newsletter has been enjoyable as it allows me to use a skill I am already used to, as well as think creatively in finding resources relevant to our constituents. However while I am comfortable in digging up research, I tend to overdo it and had to be reminded that since there are many daily tasks to complete that there’s a limit to how much time and energy I can put into each and every topic. For this reason, I now monitor my time in order of priorities. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of the E-news material and look forward to helping draft more posts albeit more timely.
Celebrating Black History in Alaska is a unique experience considering Alaska’s short history as a state there’s still so much to learn from both histories. Because of our state’s unique histories, I will be working on researching and drafting stories and recognizing influential Black leaders, if you’re interested in learning more, I recommend following Rep. Spohnholz’s social media or subscribing to her E-newsletter.
Lastly, yet most educational to me, is interpreting bills. For the 32nd legislature I will help in hopefully actualizing a bill, and to do so I must understand the bill. The first roadblock I hit was understanding a bill! Having no exposure to what is colloquially called “Legalese” I felt like I was spinning in circles, I understood the words, the stipulations, yet I could not understand at all the purpose! What is the point of a bill if there is no purpose? Turns out understanding a bill goes beyond the actual legal writings, rather the written bill is (simplified) more like a rule book to follow, the purpose is found in sponsor statements and testimonies. Meeting with a representative of stakeholders involved helped clarify this process, and now going forward with better understanding I am excited to continue working on and observing the bill making process.
That was a lot for this week! And one final exciting piece of news is I will be joining the rest of Rep. Spohnholz’s team in Juneau here shortly! So, until next week, stay healthy!
Pakak Sophie