Author: jacquelinej330

Wednesday was a very exciting and interesting day, as I was able to attend a variety of thought-provoking and informative discussions. In the morning, I sat in on the Justice and Public Safety appropriations meeting, which was very cool to witness as it was one of the first steps taken on the House budget this year. As a result of Covid and other factors, both the Senate and House budgets are progressing much more slowly this year, but in this meeting the committee’s appropriations were discussed and it was shocking to hear the amounts of money allocated to specific endeavors (as well as what those endeavors were and their purposes).

Front of LB

Ashley and I met with various legislators throughout the day, including Representative Brenden Jones, Representative Riddell, and Johanna Reese, Deputy Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the NCDOT. However, my favorite part of the day was listening to the Senate Health Care committee meeting where they discussed a bill called the Human Life Nondiscrimination Act. This was particularly intriguing as many senators from both parties had strong opinions on the bill (which they voiced), and we got to hear from over a dozen speakers from the public as well. The contributors included multiple individuals diagnosed with Down syndrome as well as an OBGYN, Planned Parenthood, and social services dealing with disability in North Carolina.

Obviously, the decisions surrounding this bill were very complex and controversial, and the discussion on the floor reflected this. It was a memorable meeting to witness for sure.

In a committee meeting

The NCGA did not meet on Friday, and therefore I did not go back in to either the Legislative Building or Legislative Office Building until Tuesday.

Tuesday was a fairly routine day at the Legislative Building, but busy and interesting nevertheless. Ashley and I met with a few legislators throughout the day, including Senator Chaudhuri, who serves my district. He wanted to get a student’s perspective on issues occurring recently in schools as a result of Covid, and it was really cool to be able to discuss this with him. We agreed on the importance of extracurricular opportunities at school, even when they pose challenges due to Covid restrictions. He was one of my favorite legislators I had met thus far.

For lunch, Bella and I went to the Raleigh Times with Ashley and fueled up on street tacos, which were delicious. I’ve really enjoyed the location of the NCGA in downtown Raleigh, and being able to walk to a variety of restaurants in such close proximity to the building is really great.

In the afternoon, Bella and I attended a few committee meetings, as well as Senate Rules at 2:30. After the meeting, we went back to Representative Martin’s office and hung out with Lee and Chris for the rest of the day.

Sitting on 2nd floor of LB

Senate Rules

In the morning, there was a committee meeting to discuss and vote on a bill that Ashley had helped initiate, and it passed! She had to leave before lunch, so I spent the rest of the afternoon with Bella and Representative Martin’s Legislative Assistant, Chris, as well as his intern, Lee. Chris took us on a walking tour of the area around the Legislative Building- we were able to see the Governor’s Mansion, Capitol Building, and North Carolina Medical Society in addition to other government establishments.

Outside of Capitol Building

We were able to actually go inside the Capitol Building and view many of its rooms, including the Historic Senate and House Chambers, which were really nice. On our way out, we ran into Roy Cooper as he was speaking with members of the State Employees Association of North Carolina. We ended up talking briefly with him and getting a picture as well, which was a really memorable experience!

Rotunda of the Capitol Building

Historic Senate Chamber

Meeting Governor Cooper

When we returned to the Legislative Building, Chris brought us to the rooftop, where a garden and skylights are housed. For the rest of the afternoon, we talked to Chris and Lee about their everyday tasks and responsibilities as assistants, and learned how to respond efficiently and adequately to emails from constituents.

LB Rooftop

Today was packed full of meetings with representatives and senators that Ashley and I attended! We discussed both general policies and specific bills with many of these legislators, and it was interesting to see the strategies Ashley used to gain their support, such as connecting on shared interests and opinions.

One event that happened today which I found particularly intriguing was a protest outside of the Legislative Building, where anti-abortion activists rented out space and held a protest in which they advocated for HB 158, which would ban abortion in North Carolina. I observed this convention with Bella as well as Representative Martin’s intern Chris, and watching members of the public attempt to gain support for a piece of legislation was certainly notable as I know this is a common occurrence outside of any political workplace (especially the NC LB).

In the afternoon, I was able to attend the House’s discussion of a significant bill, which was a great experience- watching from the gallery above was fascinating and definitely memorable!

Watching the House meet from gallery!

Pin gifted to us by Representative Diane Wheatley

This morning, I was able to actually go into the Legislative Building where the NC General Assembly meets for the first time. The Senate was voting on a bill that my mentor Ashley had been working on, so we were able to watch the bill being presented and voted on along with a couple of others, which was really exciting. We spent much of the day connecting with legislators around the building, including attending meetings with senators and talking to Representative Grier Martin. I definitely gained insight into the importance of using conversation to build relationships and form connections in the world of lobbying.

View from outside the Legislative Building

One of my favorite parts of the day was walking downtown to Sitti for lunch, where we ate with some fellow lobbyists and another intern as well. The food was incredible and we were able to sit in the courtyard area behind the restaurant, which was super nice! Today was busy but I definitely enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Courtyard at Sitti

In preparation for the week ahead, I spent time researching recent developments in the NC General Assembly as well as reviewing House and Senate bills that had been passed or filed in previous weeks. Because the NCGA does not meet until evening on Mondays, I did not travel downtown but instead met with lawyer/lobbyist Ashley Perkinson via zoom to discuss logistics and gain a basic understanding of her work. It was really cool to hear about some of the groups that she represents- her clients include the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the North Carolina Occupational Therapy Association among many others. Ashley summarized some bills she had been working with recently, and I found it interesting that she’s able to deal with legislation relating to fields that differ completely, like education and public health. I spent the rest of the day looking more into bills that had passed out of one chamber before the crossover deadline and would therefore be further discussed by the opposite chamber in the future. Overall, it was a great first day!

Ashley Perkinson (pictured right) representing the North Carolina Occupational Therapy Association at an event in 2018.