Day 35

The first session of the 2009-2010 legislative term is drawing to a close. With five legislative days left, there's a whole lot going on and not a lot at all. But there is cause for celebration!

Three of Representative McKillip's bills have made it through the assembly and another will soon pass the Senate. HB 434, HB 449, HB 98, and HB 502 are Rep. McKillip's first bills to make it through the entire assembly since his election three years ago. Similarly, these are the first bills I've ever had a hand in, so it's a personal victory to see them go so far.

While they're all local bills and most of them uncontroversial, they still endure a long process before they can be passed by both chambers. I had to converse with county leaders and Legislative Counsel for a few weeks before all parties agreed to the language of the bills. Then, I had to obtain an affidavit, or proof of publication in the local paper, for each bill. Rep. McKillip could then sign the bills and drop them, releasing them to the House in order to be assigned bill numbers. The bills were read aloud twice in the House before heading to their appropriate committees, where changes could be made if need be.

The next step was to obtain the signatures of the other representatives within our delegation. Luckily for Athens, there are only three. Atlanta delegations can have up to 20 representatives! As soon as the representatives within our delegation signed, I sent a letter to the chairman of the Intragovernmental Coordination committee asking for the bills to be released to the local calendar, and on the next legislative day, all of the bills on the calendar were passed by the House, including our four. Then, the process was repeated in the Senate and with our delegation of senators.

Looking back, I can remember feeling so confused and overwhelmed on the first day. Rep. McKillip was full of legislative jargon and expectations, and I wasn't sure if I could keep up. In addition to tending to his bills, he wanted me to write letters to constituents, return phone calls, prepare his schedule every day, and network with other legislators and aides. My job was basically to run his office - which I did and will continue to do for the next two weeks.

Rep. McKillip knew just what to do with me. He pushed me, then gave me space to rise to his expectations. There was no hovering, no babying, no checking in on me. As soon as I figured out a rhythm, I gained confidence as well as momentum. I'm not sure where the change happened, but now I take phone calls with ease. I write his letters and sign them. I have his schedule on his desk every morning. I followed through with his bills, and now I'm beginning to feel nostalgic for the energy that I had when I was under all of that pressure in January.

Part of me is ready for this whirlwind to come to an end, but I'm going to miss it when it does. Yet I know in my soul that this isn't the end of the political road for me. I'll be back. And with this foundation, maybe one day I'll have an office of my own, a delegation of my own and constituents of my own, and I can live the adventure all over again.