Author: ella_gupta

I began my day by attending two committee meetings- “Rules and Operations” and Healthcare. The highlight of the day was the legislative session. After an interesting session last night with protestors entering the gallery, the focus of today’s session was the Compassionate Care Act. I learned about this bill in Rules committee yesterday. The bill would essentially legalize medicinal marijuana for fatal health ailments, such as cancer to reduce suffering. This bill received bipartisan support in the Senate. Many spoke about the impact it would have on individuals who deserve to live their last days in peace, and a sponsoring senator explained that it would also help veterans suffering from PTSD. A senator who did not support the bill felt that it only served as a “band aid” and would not address the root causes of the suffering.

I also had the opportunity to meet several senators before session today, all of whom are incredibly kind. It has been an honor to gain a new perspective on public policy. While I generally pay more attention to federal policy, I have a new appreciation for local policy. It has been an honor to be directly involved in the gears of the government.

Today marked by second day in the Senate. I attended a couple of interesting committee meetings. I began my day in the Agriculture committee meeting, which was short and straightforward. I then attended the “Rules and Operations” meeting which was interesting. Several Senators posed questions to those putting forth the bill. The Compassionate Care Act, which would legalize medicinal marijuana, was up for debate. One senator remarked that she had heard some of the most moving testimony in her twelve years in the Senate with regards to the bill prior to today’s meeting. The senators presenting the bill cited strong public support as well. In the afternoon, I attended the “Judiciary” meeting. One thing I learned this week is how transparent the legislative process is in terms of inclusivity of the public. At 4 pm, we had a legislative session. After its presentation, numerous senators commented on the bill expanding Medicaid. One called it a “gamechanger” and there was discussion of the importance of healthcare accessibility, especially in rural parts of the state. Then, the contended Parental Bill of Rights was presented. Different senators had vastly different opinions on this bill. It has been very exciting to gain exposure to the debate and conversation that occurs in the Senate and to develop nuance with regards to my knowledge of the legislative process.

When I arrived at the General Assembly this morning, I familiarized myself with the Legislative Building and Legislative Office Building. I then attended several committee meetings, including the “Rules and Operations” meeting. This session was fascinating, as a very controversial bill was being discussed- the Parental Bill of Rights. Several concerned citizens delivered impassioned speeches urging senators to vote against the bill. They said that its passage would lead to the displacement of many members of the LGBTQ community, as it would require school counselors to “out” students and require parental involvement. The vote from the senators was mixed, and the bill will be read in the legislative session Wednesday. Shortly after, the Finance Committee met. I met the former mayor of Raleigh, Tom Fetzer, as well as a few other senators. The Finance session was quite short, as the committee unanimously agreed on the bill. In the afternoon at 4 pm, the legislative session began and the second and third reading of several bills was conducted. I had the opportunity to sit on the Senate Floor session and see the action up close.

 

Today, I went to court with the attorney. I watched a case in domestic violence court revolving around a man charged with assaulting a female and kidnapping. He was taking several strong drugs which caused him to hallucinate and lock his family in a room. He held knives outside the door and guarded it as if there were a dangerous presence in the home, not permitting his wife or children to leave. This man is also a roofer who often works in different states like Virginia. The attorney’s goal was to convince the judge to remove the Electronic Monitoring System from the defendant. He argued that, as it restricted his movement, it posed a risk to his safety. The wife gave emotional testimony, as well, saying that the financial burden caused by living in a separate household was too much and that she was on the brink of eviction. While she claimed she felt perfectly safe with the defendant, the prosecutor felt strongly that the monitoring system not be removed from the defendant, as she felt it posed a significant risk to his wife and children. Upon deliberating with the counsel, the judge ordered that the defendant complete a drug test; if he passed it, the monitoring system could be removed. The attorney, defendant, and I went into a small conference room, and the attorney called a translator from his office, as the defendant did not speak English. The defendant did have strong drugs in his system, so the attorney withdrew his motion. The attorney also explained to me that it would have crossed his moral boundaries to push further, given the new information.

After court, the attorney explained to me the difference between statutory law and common law. While statutory law is written law established by a legislature, common law is rooted in judicial precedent. Overall, this portion of my work experience program served as a fascinating introduction to the legal system. It was enriching to see real cases and enriching to augment my knowledge of legal processes.

 

Today was my first day shadowing a criminal defense attorney at his law firm. I learned about the ethics code by which attorneys and their employees are bound, including that I am unable to share specific details of cases. I was introduced to the concept of an attorney serving chiefly as an advocate for their client, as well as the ethical boundaries in the profession. Additionally, a lawyer must define their personal moral boundaries to ensure they can serve as advocates for their clients. I began my day by organizing documents for a case about a man involved in a car accident to aid the attorney. There were hundreds of pages of medical records to sort through, which I organized chronologically to help build the case. The firm also kept records of all past cases but was running out of room to store records for new cases, so I helped reorganize the files, taking out files for cases that occurred during or before 2014. It was a wonderful first day!

 

Today, I continued documentary filming with the crew. We met at the Cary Academy campus. The crew captured aerial footage of Raleigh and CA. We filmed interviews with a couple of mentors and captured more B roll, such as me walking down the hall. Since the students featured in the film are geographically diverse, they wanted to get a sense of the school and city communities. In order to help tell my story, the crew also examined photographs of my grandparents before they immigrated to the U.S, as I discussed them in the documentary.

Today was the first day of filming for the personal finance advocacy documentary. A crew of three arrived at my home in the morning. Bob Jury was the director, Lee was the sound technician, and Chris was the videographer. I learned more about the project as a whole. I am representing the Southern region in the documentary, which will be used in schools and utilized to show legislators the importance of financial education, as the non-profit funding the documentary advocates for a guaranteed semester of personal finance instruction for all high school students.

The first thing we filmed was a personal interview, where I was asked about the importance of financial education and discussed my own advocacy work. We then filmed B-roll, including me running, making a smoothie, and working at my desk. When my sister came home from DT, we filmed footage with my family as well. Overall, it was a wonderful first day!