tour of the state

7 January 2009

This morning, I sit briefly in the House Chamber during my first real day in the Legislature. Lobbyists are throughout the halls working to get to know as many representatives as possible, friends catch up on time lost and the Women’s Lobby is busy thanking legislators. It’s a busy, exciting day for us newbie legislators as we work to get through the House details as quickly as possible in anticipation of the massive evacuation many legislators will take part in as we jump on a couple of buses for a tour of Northern Maine.

I am amazed at how much paper we are given and as to how often it is distributed, especially considering we are working to reduce our paper consumption and move as close to a paperless legislature as we can. I get emails with supplementals almost as fast as I receive them in print. Much of these are simply minor issues that we barely even glance at, often recommending bills be sent to various committees for further review.  I prefer the emailed version; it costs a lot less and reduces our carbon footprint.

But, tradition is a hard thing to change overnight. Laptops are scattered throughout the House Chamber, but not nearly as many as I would have presumed. Perhaps it is still early, especially since the majority of the work is ceremonious at this juncture.

Either way, I am looking forward to joining the Bus Tour. We will be headed to Aroostook County in the middle of this great snowstorm. Lots to see and many legislators to get to know better. It is an opportunity to meet folks from the Northern part of the state and learn about issues faced by our state at large, well beyond the walls of our own districts.

More to come!

Cheers,

~MissDem