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The House is off this week for Independence Day. Ironically, I ventured down to the Flag room today to drop off a flag to be flown in honor of a Constituent's birthday. Every Congressional office can make requests to have a flag flown over the Capital for special occasions. The flag, after being flown over the Capital for a period of time is then brought down, marked for the time and honor it flew and then returned to the office that had placed the request. Then, normally at least, the office arranges to have the flag delivered tot he group party that requested the flag be flown in the first place.

The office was quite bare today. At least 2 L.A.'s (Legislative Assistants) will be gone every day of this week. Also, the last remnants of the American Clean Energy and Security Act emerged today with the calls of either joyful or betrayed remarks commenting over the Congressman's vote.

Oh well, hopefully this week the office can catch up a tad with the mail.

A New Bill for a New Era?

I'm still recovering from last week's events. Friday did not fail in being the climax of the phone calls from concerned constituents. IN fact, we were so consumed by the massive amount of calls, several of the permanent staffers had to resort back to their intern days and help staff the phones. And when the staffers left their desks, even for a second, we interns had to spring up and take over their spots in order to receive the new incoming calls.

But I shouldn't complain. For the first time in my internship I was asked to help fold outgoing mail. This task may seem a bit tedious as it only requires the folder to make sure that the paper is folded in an accordion fashion with the name and address visible from the outside of the letter. However, this task does hinder one from answering the phones because the glue on the hands can make the receiver very sticky. But seriously, this was an important step towards completing the cycle of communications to/through/from the office. Sticky hands and all!

Around 4:30, the Congressman gave a speech on the floor of the House during general debate. During this speech, he publicly endorsed the bill. Until then, we were unsure how the Congressman was planning on voting because of the many consequences the bill would have.

Also, for anyone who might have an interest in politics, there is a great site from the Library of Congress named Thomas. It can be located on the web with the URL www.Thomas.gov. It gives an un-biased summary of every bill that passes before Congress, and it helps constituents weed out fact from propaganda heard on the local news.

Cap and Trade - Day 2

Today is the day before the BIG DAY around our office, or better known as the day before the ACES bill is scheduled to be voted on.

I started off the first half of the day staffing the front office once again. I was out there all morning as chaos brewed and simmered down again. Several times there were multiple meetings occurring at the same time. And then even more people were showing up early for their appointments. I was unable to quickly attend to everything because I frequently had the receiver of the phone stuffed into my ear.

Tomorrow is the last day of the session before the annual 4th of July recess so I do expect the pace and volume to continue at least through Friday.

I know that the entire staff have been under this same pressure so that after day two of an avalanche of constant calls, I can honestly say that we're ready for some rest.

ACES ACT vs CAP and TRADE Congressman Moore's office, this is....

Mark Wednesday, June 24th, as 'Day One' of American Clean Energy and Security Act phone raid. Many constituents got word that this bill, H.R. 2454 (yes I know the bill number by memory, as well as its surnames: Cap and Trade, Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) of 2009 or as many callers refer to it as "the bill that will raise my taxes..."). I learned through hard work that when such a controversial bill makes its way to the floor, the amount of concern and panic that arises can take its toll on the staffers.

And because H.R. 2454 is looming large and is critically important our other duties in the office seemed to come to a near halt. I know that for me, staffing the phone impacted my ability to answer mail today because there was virtually no pause in between the rings.

What is ACES or Cap and Trade anyway? Basically, it is legislation that develops an approach to control pollutionby providing economic incentives for companies who successful cut (or cap) their pollution output or to penalize companies that don't cut theirs, to pay into the fund pool (trade). That's why sometimes H.R. 2454 is also referred to as an emissions tax. While not a new idea, it was heavily debated during the 2008 Presidential campaign and is being promoted by the Obama Administration.

As I try to gather information about the constituents' opinions and recommendations, by listening to them I also tried to assure them that the Congressman does value their communication. It is also our policy to let all Constitutents know that the Congressman is still gathering information to base his vote and my cast it either way, as he was, as of today, still considering of the bill.


Whew, this is the first of a 3 day campaign. Time for a good night's rest.

Reversed Roles

Today was the second day of the new internship tenure. I remember that not too long ago when it was my first day and I had to rely on my fellow, more experienced, interns to teach me the ropes. It as kind of odd to be in the reverse role today as I gave a brief tour of the Cannon building as I led the new intern to the office in charge of House Badges, as well as the Capitol. I showed him how to reach the Cloak Room and several alternative routes in case large crowds blocked one path or another. I also pointed out the CVC in case he ever either asked for or was interested in leading a tour into the Capitol. I also decided to show the new intern a short cut I found to a Committee's main office and consequently the House Gallery.

For a large portion of time that I was in the office today, I was upfront at the receptionist's desk. I've been up there before, but only for fleeting moments. It's different up there for some reason. We interns are still expected to fulfill our duties (primarily handling the phones and working on the mail) but handling different piles of mail felt a bit out of place in the welcoming reception area. I found myself tidying the pile I was working on every other letter because I felt the mismanaged pile would reflect poorly if a Constituent walked into the office, or worse, the Congressman should view the odd way mail was being sorted in several different piles. Also, because the front office is out of the line of sight of one of the side rooms, the other interns pick up the duty of phones for the most part. I believe this helps the person out front stay free in case a visitor enters the office.

It was a good feeling to be able to be the person in front of the office, and a responsibility that I have a new found deeper respect for.

After a Relaxing Weekend....a lot is going on

Suffice it to say, even when Congress is not in official session, the offices of elected officials have plenty to keep busy with. The start of this work week began with the House in recess (until tomorrow) but lots of activity on many levels kept us hopping.

The public demonstrations over last weekend's election in Iran are now generating communications with Iranian-Americans. While we've only had a few calls to the office from Constituents, we're hearing that other Representatives offices are fielding a number of calls and visits, and we've been watching the local news coverage of a small number of local demonstrations (mainly in front of the White House and an office associated with Iranian officials). It's a little odd to me, to think that we want to promote democracy by the people of other countries, yet there are people who want our government to be involved. I realize this is not a new phenomena, just new for me to observe from this vantage point.

In between several office supply runs, the number of calls about health care reform continue to come in at a good clip. It definitely is lining up to be the issue of the summer.

We also got to welcome our newest Intern to the office today. It's kinda nice not being the 'newest kid on the block' anymore. I should also comment that I think we have a very strong team of Interns and I appreciate the different backgrounds and perspectives that we all bring to the table.

Finally, on a very serious note, the worst accident in the history of the Metro occurred. At rush hour two Metro-trains collided, one running into the other that was at a complete stop, and they are reporting 4 people were killed and about 70 others were wounded. This happened on a Red Line train in the North East section of the City. So that you know, when something like this happens, in a city and community like this, it really has a profound effect on everyone. I'm sure that it is on the national news, so be sure to check it out for the latest.

End of the Week Blues

Although I was only in the office for two days this week, it wasn't hard not notice the equipment mishaps that we were painfully experiencing. Before I started my internship, one of the 3 office printers had broken down; last week, while I was in the office, number 2 went out of order; and yesterday, the 3rd and final printer found a sporting time to act up. Mind you, this means the printer kept us on edge with constant paperjams just as the 80 odd page first draft of the Democratic Health Plan was being published. Luckily, the printer was functioning just well enough to get a copy printed as well as a few other required items.

Not only did the printer struggle throughout the day, but so did the server. For a period of time the server was completely down, leaving those of us who were working with the mailing system completely offline. The office staff were unable to open, update or save any information on the server for nearly an hour. At this point it was all that we could do but look at each other and wonder, what next?

I guess even government is affected by tech mishaps!

The day had a highly unusual feel because there were only 3 interns at the office today, including myself. 2 staffers were also out. This led one of my fellow interns to be able to sit at one of the staffers desk for the day which allowed the rest of us to have a bit more elbow room. Unfortunately, that meant there were only two of us to handle the phones for periods when the 3rd intern was not at the desk (he was sent on several errands throughout the day causing him to be out of the office). Let's just say that I had the good fortune to get to know Congressman Moore's constituents slightly better =D.

All in all it was an exciting week, albeit short and rather busy.

Back to Work

I'm officially a high school graduate and I headed back to work after three days of last minute rehearsals, celebrations and family. And what a day to come back to!

As you may be reading in your local newspapers, Congress is at work on a major overhaul and rewrite of health care. I've mentioned previously that the 'trigger' health care approach is among our most frequently communicated issues from constituents. So today I had a chance to attend a planning meeting for staff from Blue Dog Democrat offices.

In case you aren't familiar with that term, it refers to a group of 52 Democratic Members of the United States House of Representatives who are moderate or conservative on fiscal matters. Representative Moore is a member of this coalition, hence my chance to participate in this briefing.

The focus of our briefing was around how to be consistent in our communications with our Constitutents. While every Representative has their own voice and perspective, there is general agreement with coalitions, such as the Blue Dog Democrats, that it is helpful for members to coordinate messaging when there are such similiarities. This helps strengthen the potential for the perspective of those Members to be recognized and adopted. As staff, we were able to discuss those similiarities and learn where resources (e.g. Fact sheets, background documents, etc.) are located to assist us in communicating with our Constituents. It's pretty interesting on many levels to participate in an event like this; From meeting other Interns and Legislative Assistants to developing a better understanding of the rationale for the positions that Representative Moore takes on specific issues, such as health care.

Throughout the day I had numerous errands and made several trips from the office to the Cloak Room. We were also quite busy handling what seems like an increasing quantity of calls (many about the pending health care legislation) that we're receiving. The day had a rather frenzied pace to it because of a procedural process that the House Republicans deployed. Frustrated in their minority party status, unable to significantly impact the majority and Presidential agendas, the House Republicans have been submitting amendment requests to literally every piece of legislation on the agenda. This is an attempt to slow down, if not stall, the deliberations on legislation that they oppose, such as many programs that require new or expanded funding.

The result of this tactic is that today, June 18, the House of Representatives had a marathon of votes called on nearly 40 amendments. This essentially tied up Congressman Moore from 10:30 until 6:30 today. This also explains why we were busy carrying materials back and forth to the Congressman in the Cloak Room.

This is a fascinating place to be; But it is even more so when you understand the reasons behind the activity you deal with

Thanks for being patient with me while I've been out celebrating; but it's good to be back.

A Quick Day

Just a very short post today, as I had graduation events at my high school throughout the morning and needed to leave a bit early. Incidentally, as in all jobs, the office staff are very supportive of a few absences if you communicate early and often with them. They understand commitments such as my high school graduation and have excused me to attend them.

While a shortened day for me, it was not a slow one. There was plenty of constituent activity and Congress was in a rare, Friday session. All of this put together made the pace of the day very fast.

What Is a Trigger Anyway?

The issue that is top of mind for the overwhelming majority of Constituents is the push being made by the Obama Administration for health care reform and the legislation to enable it. Both the pro and con sides are calling our office in significant numbers to advocate for their position.

The specific approach that is being discussed is referred to as a 'trigger' clause. What this means is that the the legislation being proposed would require private health care insurers to come up with new policies to cover more Americans. Failing to do this, the legislation would provide for a 'trigger' that enacts public provided health care insurance.

Callers run the range from those who are quite emotional about the issue, to some who have done great research into the need and implications of such legislation, to those who are connecting because of an organized effort by a group that they belong to who are conducting a mass appeal campaign.

On a quick side note: Happy Birthday Washington, DC! It was on June 11, 1800 that the federal government gave the newly formed city of Washington, District of Columbia the designation as the Capital of the United States government.

All By Myself...

I should mention that although the core intent and purpose of my Internship is to learn how a Representative's office works and to serve my United States Congressman, I am gaining more by participating in a college independent study. I am registered for this through Johnson County Community College, which happens to be in Representative Dennis Moore's District, in Overland Park, Kansas. Throughout this summer I'll be sharing the responsibilities of my course and my response to them.

Onto my day. Due to commitments and assignments the other Interns that I work with were at other locations this morning. Consequently I enjoyed the opportunity to handle a huge variety of calls and tasks. I had my first 'repeat calls' from Constituents and am now appreciating the professional relationships that can be built with them. It also struck me just how diverse the opinions of the people back home can be. Calls one after another, on both sides of the issue, came in fast and furious throughout the morning.

After lunch, with everyone back, I ran a few errands around the Capitol. I had the opportunity to deliver an important document to the Congressman while he was in a sub-committee meeting on small businesses. That might seem like an inconsequential task, but honestly, it was exciting to be a part of the process.

The next several days my posts will be brief as I will be rehearsing for, and participating in my high school graduation ceremony.

What a great start to a summer to remember, and not alone!

Rain, Rain and Calls Galore

Today was one of the stormiest weather days of my internship yet. While we've had an abundance of rain the past three weeks, the skies opened up while on my way into the Office this morning. As I've mentioned before, when the weather is volatile, traffic snarls and my commute, well, it just goes hawywire!

As you might have guessed, I arrived a wee bit late, after traveling over an hour + to work. I actually got an early start to my commute, as I stopped by my local polling place to cast my vote in the Virginia Governor's Democratic Primary. In case you haven't been following it, the Governor's race has been the focus of national media attention, as one of the first major tests of the electorate in the post-2008 Presidential campaign.

So after finally making it in, the morning shaped up to be extremely interesting, and challenging, in handling constituent phone calls. I fielded quite a few calls from constituents who were expressing their disappointment with the current state of our economy and the President's and Congressman's actions to address it. The callers are passionate in expressing their opinions and they all deserve to have them heard. Although they were at times frustrated with the process of how they communicate with a Representative's office, frankly I was impressed with how nice and patient most of the callers were. As I've said before, in order for representative government to work, you must have good communication with those that you're representing.

One small note, we received a number of 'smart power strips' that help minimize the electrical current draw and help us to be a more eco-friendly Congressional office. Hence we spent some time today finding the best place to install and connect them. Believe it or not, it was a pretty good chore!
Maybe tomorrow the rain will subside and the skies will show some sign of blue again!

A Capitol Scare

Lest anyone forget today was a reminder of the times we live in. As I was on errands inside the Capitol a rush of activity alerted me to the fact that my trip was far from ususal. The Capitol Police (yes, the United States Capitol has it's own police force) began a hurried evacuation of the new Capitol Visitors Center because of an unclaimed/suspicious package. Thousands of tourists, staff and Congressional personnel left quickly, in a very well managed exodus.

The standard operating procedure is to dispose (e.g. 'blow up') the suspicious item, which is what was done with the package left unattended in the entrance way.

In other news I attended my second weekly all staff meeting in the Office. It's interesting to hear about the many events that are scheduled for Representative Moore and how the staff are involved in the researching, briefing, coordination and support of those events. What's especially impressive, is with all of the variety of events, responsibilities and commitments, that it comes off so well with only minor hiccups.

By the Gallery; Representative Government

As I've mentioned before, Interns will occassionally run errands for the Representative's Office. It's a great opportunity to develop a better understanding (and appreciation) of the massive layout of the four primary office buildings that serve the House of Representatives, as well as to learn to navigate your way around the Capitol itself.

Today I did an errand that took me into the Capitol Building and by the doors to the House Gallery. While the entire Capitol is filled with incredible art and artifacts, the doorway to the Gallery is a unique spot. There are small cast portraits of 23 different historical figures who are recognized for their work in forming the principles that were foundational in the creation of American law. These portraits of those lawgivers were not put into place until 1950, so in relative duration, they're a fairly new addition to the Capitol. But they send a very important message to everyone who visits here, that the ability to make laws by people, for people is what they will witness when they enter through these doors.

I have to admit, most of the 23 people portrayed in these castings were unknown to me. I did look a few up online when I got back to the office and found out about one guy in particular. Simon de Montfort helped oust King Henry III in England and is referred to as the first truly elected leaders and is thought of as the 'father' of representative government.

On an unrelated topic, after several weeks of being involved with the processing of mail in the Representative's office, I have learned how they assign priority to Constituent mail. It really is an honor to see that commitment to the people who live and work in the Congressman's district, and likewise, how their communications come before those who are outside that geography. That is not to suggest that non-residents communications are not addressed; quite the opposite, there is a strong commitment to be responsive to all communications. It's just a realization that the people, back home, should come first. And they do.

No doubt that's a simple, but important way, to show how representative government works!

Out Front

The situations that you deal with as an Intern are really interesting. And different. Every day that I've been here, I've been both surprised and impressed with the diverse issues that come in to the office and staff for the Congressman. I'm surprised for a number of reasons; the incredible range of interests that people want to communicate with the Congressman about, to the diversity of callers (yesterday I had a pre-teen write to the Office.

And, as has been the case everyday of my Internship, I had a great new first experience. Our office Receptionist (who sets the tone for everyone who comes into the office) had an appointment and they asked if I could sub for her. Hence, everyone who comes in to the office has to pass by this person. Although brief, it was interesting to be 'on point' for the Congressman. In this position you have to be able to think quickly and be courteous even when it might not be as natural to do that. I'm glad that we had a chance to discuss this as a part of our PR training last week.

Finally, our LA's shared an interesting web site with us that shares the other side of the Intern experience; what the regular staff in a Congressional Office deal with as they get the raw talent of us interns. It's an interesting (and pretty funny) site; one that I'll be checking back into often to see if I'm heralded on as I progress through my Summer Experience.

Research and Mail

After the variety of the past several days, it was a chance to focus and work on a once again formidable pile of mail. Among those that I helped catalog there was one that caught my attention, a letter from a pre-teen constituent. The subject matter was about cyber bullying, but what struck me most, was the fact that this youngster felt it important to connect with their Congressional Representative. It's encouraging to see this letter from a young person as participation in the political process is what our Democracy is all about.

I also got to witness the first official constitutent visit today when a youth group from the 3rd District showed up to meet and speak with the Congressman. It was also great to see the excitement and energy in the faces of these teens getting to meet in person with him.

It was interesting to answer the office phone and hear Representative Moore on the line. He was in the Cloak Room, just off the Floor of the House, in-between votes, and he was getting updates and information from the LA's. Communications is again, a critical role that the office and it's staff play in supporting the work of our elected Representatives.

Oh, on a personal note; it is early June and getting pretty warm here in Washington, DC. As I was riding the Metro today, I got a different sense of what commuting is all about, especially when you're one of thousands packed into a hot Metro Rail car!

Cloak Room, Hearing and Staff Meeting

Another day of firsts for me. I arrived a bit early today, before the office was officially open, which gave me a chance to get organized and ready for work. Correspondence was the order of the morning and I think our team of interns made great progress to actually get through the majority of the mail waiting for processing.

About mid-morning, our first outside of office activity involved retrieving a replacement water tank for one that we had borrowed from a neighboring office. While this might sound like a mundane task to some, it is enjoyable to get to see other areas of the Longworth House Office Building where a virtual supply warehouse serves the entire House side of Congress. During the 'water run' we also got to interact with our peers in other offices, so it's a chance to see how different/similiar other Members facilities are run.

Shortly after this first errand was wrapped up, I got a chance to accompany one of the Legislative Assistants (we refer to them as LA's) to the House of Representatives Democratic Cloak Room. This is a Member's area just off the House Floor, where they come from their work in the chamber, to take calls, prepare their remarks and participate in party coordinating activities. It's pretty interesting to know that this is a little known, but extremely important, place where important discussions that impact votes and the actions of Members.

I had a terrific afternoon, by being invited to attend my first actual U.S. House of Representatives Hearing. Staff in our office were lucky to be invited to hear four former student leaders speak at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing held today. "Twenty Years After the Crackdown: Tiananmen Square and Human Rights in China" was held in room 2127 at the Rayburn House Office Building and was just a fascinating experience.

There has been quite a bit of press about this infamous anniversary, so to be able to be in the room, with actual participants in the event, was pretty amazing. One of the speakers was severely injured during the Tiananmen Square fight and wound up having both of his legs amputated. Thus it made their comments that much more powerful and authentic.

After the Hearing, day full of new experiences, was topped off by participating in my first office staff meeting. Congressman Dennis Moore and the entire staff met to discuss the important issues that he would likely encounter this week in the House (and the plans to coordinate briefing him on them) as well as his schedule and other office matters. While brief, the meeting moved quickly and we covered a lot of ground.

Starting to Get the Hang of It

Today was one full of variety and a sense that I was starting to get into the swing of things.

Traffic, as previously mentioned, can impact a lot around the Washington, DC area and this morning was a case in point. I was fighting car traffic while the Metro conspired against most of my intern colleagues with delays on the various lines (Red, Orange and Blue). The good news is that we all made it on time, but without the normal 'wind-up' time.

After getting settled by taking stock of the correspondence we (the interns) were treated to an office tradition; getting to take our pictures while seated at the Congressman's desk! Being mindful of not disturbing anything, the five of us took turns in one of the most powerful 'seats' that we may ever sit in! It was an honor (and a blast) to get to imagine what it would be like sitting in that chair, for real.

We also discussed with the Office staff a 'special event' arranged for interns. Each 'class' of interns are provided with an opportunity to take a private tour of the White House. Our office Receptionist (don't be misled, in may ways she is the one who runs our office!) and the Congressman's scheduler legislative assistant talked to us about this special treat and began mapping out possible dates for this to occur. Stay tuned as we learn more and hopefully get to experience this special event.

As it was the first of the month, it was the scheduled time to archive the prior month's correspondence in an area reserved for our office, affectionately known as "the cage". Basically a storage vault located in the basement of the Capitol, it is an easily accessible place for Members of Congress to organize and keep-handy, the important communications with constituents.

Onto work and serious matters; today was the day after the terrible events in Wichita, Kansas (and the perpetrator was from and apprehended in Johnson County where our U.S. Representative is from) and I fielded several calls from constituents who were tremendously upset about the situation. It was touching to hear the passion in the callers, who were primarily focusing on the human side of the tragedy (a shooting/murder if you don't recall) and it was an honor to be able to assist the Congressman in communicating with his constitutents.

I also fielded several calls with citizens reaction to the bankruptcy of General Motors. Obviously there are strong opinions about the U.S. Governments role, and they exercised their right to ask their Represenative to hear their opinions.

All in all, a good day, and one in which I felt I was able to make a solid contribution to helping the wheels of government move.