The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Kayla M. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Observe a Legislative Session and Committee Meeting
On May 27, 2010, I observed a committee meeting and legislative session of the Michigan House of Representatives. Since I was shadowing Representative Marty Knollenberg for the day, I had the opportunity to sit in on a meeting of the Transportation committee of which he is a member. The committee chairman had just an hour to conduct the meeting because an extra caucus meeting had been called for before the legislative session that afternoon. Seventeen Transportation committee members sat at the front of the room with the chairman, while lobbyists and citizens came to the front one by one to address the issues on that morning's agenda.
Rep. Basham's chief of staff opened discussion by speaking in support of a bill requiring railroad companies to update and maintain whistle post signs. Committee members then questioned if a problem existed, and a spokesman from the Michigan Brotherhood of Railroad Engineers explained that public safety makes the bill necessary. A spokesman from the Michigan Railroads Association also asked for the bill's passage. Each committee member voted to send the bill to the House with a recommendation.
Lobbyists then came forward to speak in support of a bill to create "Complete Streets" by adding bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly markers to new Michigan streets. For instance, a mother whose daughter had been hit by a car told her story and asked for Complete Streets as a safety measure. Lobbyists then claimed the bill would keep more residents in Michigan by ensuring a better quality of life. More supporters from a Troy task force, the Suburbs Alliance, and Michigan Trails and Greenways gave their favorable views on the bill. Since only favorable views of the bill were presented, it was only later that I found out this bill would be an unfunded mandate, a vague idea without the money to get the job done.
That afternoon, I observed a legislative session in the House chamber of the Lansing Capitol building. The session did not start right away; during the first hour representatives talked with one another and their staff privately and milled around the floor as it buzzed with communication. After the Speaker of the House began the session with the Pledge of Allegiance, representatives presented a plaque of appreciation to an intern for his service in the House. Once the session began, the speaker and clerk flew through the formalities, the bills and the amendments, so that representatives were voting on the first bill within minutes. Several representatives introduced grade school students observing the session from the gallery. Then the speaker moved quickly to more bills. The House passed a sawmill operations bill, a drunk driving bill, a health care appropriations bill with an amendment for accountability through transparent spending records, and a Federal Communications Commission resolution.
Through my observation of a committee meeting and legislative session in process, I witnessed the high speed at which legislators move and the constant communication they keep up throughout the day. Many of the policy discussions and decisions in Lansing take place behind the scenes.
