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| Rep. Sue Austin and Lorraine Glowczak |
To better inform myself of the procedures and daily activities
during the legislative sessions, I’ve asked the Raymond and Windham delegates
if I could shadow them for part of their day. They all responded immediately
with open arms.
It is my hope that by sharing my experiences, I can “bring”
a visit to those who are unable to travel to Augusta and watch their
legislators in action. It is here I will do my best to communicate the day to
day policy-making intricacies of those we elected to serve us in Augusta.
My first legislative adventure was last Thursday,
February 28 where I spent the morning with Rep. Sue Austin (Republican.
District 67 that includes portions of Gray, Raymond, Casco and all of Frye
Island). “Dear Lorraine. Why
don't you come to the State House by 9 a.m. and check in at the Republican
House Office on the third floor. We have caucus from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. prior to
morning session in the room right beside the Rep. House Office. I will be able
to spend some time with you from 9 to entering session shortly after 10. You can visit in the Gallery during Session
so you can see information and paper flow through the day's work at hand,”
Rep. Austin stated in an email communication between us.
I
arrived on time, but the caucus had a special guest speaker and was closed to
the media. As a result, Rep. Austin had only a few moments to speak briefly
before the House session began at 10 a.m. “You are beginning to see how things
go here on a daily basis,” she began. “The process has more control over us
than we do of it. As a legislator, you must always be flexible because the
day’s agenda changes quickly. Let’s meet after the house session so we can
talk.” Then she asked if I wished to join her at the Women in Government
Luncheon that was being held at the Maine State Library.
I was
then introduced to one of her legislative aides, Ryan Lorrain, who escorted me to
the gallery where I had the opportunity to see the session in process – or as
Rep. Austin stated in her email “the paper flow” of the day’s work that include
the bills being considered in the various committee meetings. The morning’s
house session seemed to occur at lightning speed.
Once
the session was over, Rep. Austin and I had an opportunity to talk without
interruption for about a half hour. I asked her about the meeting that occurred
at the morning caucus. “There was a presentation from representatives of CMP
regarding the transmission line proposal. It was all very interesting, and I
learned a lot but there is going to be a lot of ups and downs on this issue.”
When
I asked her thoughts on CMP’s line proposal, she stated it was too early in the
process for her to say. “It’s not that I don’t want to state an opinion, but
one needs to be aware of the language that is used in certain bills and
proposals,” she explained. “One word added or replaced can change the meaning
of a bill, making it completely different than when the bill first began. It’s
always wise to know the bill to the best of your ability before you form an
opinion.”
(NOTE:
After this conversation on Thursday, we have spoken since and she clarified for
me that there will be no actual vote on the CMP proposal. “We are still getting
public feedback on the CMP proposal and listening to constituent concerns
overall, but CMP does not need a bill or our vote to do this.”)
Rep.
Austin also stated, “With bills, I am always cautious about responding whether
I do or do not support them ahead of time because we never know the final
language until the committee’s work is finalized and it comes to the Chamber
for a vote.”
I
also learned from our discussion that she is member of the Business Committee
as well as the Labor Committee. “These committees were once a combined
committee, so when they were made into two separate entities, I was assigned to
both.”
She is always
open to and receives calls from her constituents. The one recent issue that is
brought to her attention the most is regarding the bill, LD 798 – “An Act To Protect Maine Children and Students from
Preventable Diseases by Repealing Certain Exemptions from the Laws Governing
Immunization Requirements.”
Briefly, the current
law allows exemptions from immunization requirements based upon religious or
philosophical beliefs for students. LD 798 would take away that exemptions.
Rep. Austin stated
that she is for the parental right to make the best healthcare decision for
their children.
On our way to the
Women in Government luncheon that included a webinar session with other women
legislators from across the nation, Rep. Austin was stopped by a colleague to
have a brief meeting on an issue they needed to discuss prior to committee
meetings. This delay caused us to miss the webinar portion of the luncheon, but
we did get an opportunity to speak with other house representatives. I personally met and had lunch with Senator Susan
Deschambault from Biddeford as well as Rep. Amy Arata of New Gloucester.
Once the luncheon was
completed it was time for the afternoon committee meetings and time for Rep.
Austin and I to part. My experience with her was about three hours and it felt
like an eight-hour whirlwind. From her, I learned that an elected official must
be flexible and on your toes at all times. But perhaps more importantly, the
linguistical nature of bills and the language used is so complicated that the
use of a lawyer is often needed.
After saying my goodbyes to
Rep. Austin, I then connected with Rep. Jessica Fay. Stay tuned next week for
my political adventure with her.
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