Today was my last day working in the local office. In the Toledo office, I didn’t realize how important the work in the local office really is. I’m glad to have been able to assist the congressional assistants with their work by taking on several projects over the course of my two weeks. But more importantly, I’ve learned a lot about working in an office setting, what Ohio’s ninth congressional district has to offer, and many of the current issues that affect Congresswoman Kaptur’s constituents.
I am very thankful for all of the help and guidance that the staff in the Toledo office has given me, and I am very much looking forward to my short time in the DC office!
Friday, September 2, 2016
Thursday, September 1, 2016
9-1-2016: Legislation: A Sneak Peek
Today, I spent time familiarizing myself with a draft of a bill. This is so I will be prepared to work with the draft when I arrive in DC next week.
It was not easy actually reading the draft of the bill. After I read the bill from start to finish (and had a basic understanding of what it hopes to achieve), I reviewed the legislative summary. This is basically a summary of the goal and intent of the bill; in other words, it’s a Sparknotes version of the bill. It seems as if the legislative summary is used as an outline to then write the bill using more formal, legal language.
After reading the bill contacted the legislative assistant in the DC office responsible for working on the draft with Ms. Kaptur. We discussed the bill and its purpose, as well as talk about a potential project for me next week. At this point, it seems like my project will be researching more about this issue and drafting a short informational piece about it. I spent the rest of my morning reading about this issue using materials I received from the legislative assistant in DC.
It was very interesting that I got to see a local activity earlier this week that was related to the bill, and I know that these activities would become easier for individuals across the country if the bill were to pass. It’s also surprising to find out that this bill has been in the works for years, and that we’re hoping it will be introduced by the end of the month. I’m excited to see more of this bill and other legislative activities next week!
In my time that I didn’t have other assignments or tasks to complete for the office, I did some research regarding the Congresswoman’s legislative record and history.
I learned that one of the most important bills the Congresswoman has sponsored was the legislation that established the National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. Although the bill was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993, the memorial wasn’t opened until 2004, and even then, the history of the monument extends even many years before the bill was passed. It all began when a constituent first reached out to Ms. Kaptur with the idea in 1987 when the two were at a fish fry. Ms. Kaptur began working on this, introducing legislation to establish the memorial in 1987, 1989, and 1991. It required a lot of work with other federal agencies to work out all logistics for the memorial, not to mention that very little federal funds were allocated to the project. This is just one example of Ms. Kaptur’s accomplishments during her seventeen terms in Congress.
I am much more comfortable now than when I started on my first day with no idea what to expect. Now, I have no fear of asking for clarifications when I’m working on a project. Although today was a slower day with fewer assignments, I’m glad that I had some time to explore resources on my own and I am even more excited about next week in DC!
It was not easy actually reading the draft of the bill. After I read the bill from start to finish (and had a basic understanding of what it hopes to achieve), I reviewed the legislative summary. This is basically a summary of the goal and intent of the bill; in other words, it’s a Sparknotes version of the bill. It seems as if the legislative summary is used as an outline to then write the bill using more formal, legal language.
After reading the bill contacted the legislative assistant in the DC office responsible for working on the draft with Ms. Kaptur. We discussed the bill and its purpose, as well as talk about a potential project for me next week. At this point, it seems like my project will be researching more about this issue and drafting a short informational piece about it. I spent the rest of my morning reading about this issue using materials I received from the legislative assistant in DC.
It was very interesting that I got to see a local activity earlier this week that was related to the bill, and I know that these activities would become easier for individuals across the country if the bill were to pass. It’s also surprising to find out that this bill has been in the works for years, and that we’re hoping it will be introduced by the end of the month. I’m excited to see more of this bill and other legislative activities next week!
In my time that I didn’t have other assignments or tasks to complete for the office, I did some research regarding the Congresswoman’s legislative record and history.
I learned that one of the most important bills the Congresswoman has sponsored was the legislation that established the National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. Although the bill was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993, the memorial wasn’t opened until 2004, and even then, the history of the monument extends even many years before the bill was passed. It all began when a constituent first reached out to Ms. Kaptur with the idea in 1987 when the two were at a fish fry. Ms. Kaptur began working on this, introducing legislation to establish the memorial in 1987, 1989, and 1991. It required a lot of work with other federal agencies to work out all logistics for the memorial, not to mention that very little federal funds were allocated to the project. This is just one example of Ms. Kaptur’s accomplishments during her seventeen terms in Congress.
I am much more comfortable now than when I started on my first day with no idea what to expect. Now, I have no fear of asking for clarifications when I’m working on a project. Although today was a slower day with fewer assignments, I’m glad that I had some time to explore resources on my own and I am even more excited about next week in DC!
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
8-31-2016: Research Methods
Today, I finished my project that I had started on Friday that had to do with economic conditions in different regions across the country. Although the work was time consuming, extremely detail oriented, and rather tedious, I felt good having completed the assignment to the best of my ability and to the approval of the staffer who is coordinating all of the smaller pieces of the larger project.
I started a new project that required me to research the history of a certain form of advertising used for a specific type of product utilized by consumers across the country. I used the research skills I have learned at Maumee Valley and in elementary school: finding relevant resources, evaluating them for credibility, correlating the claims in a source to other sources, taking notes, and synthesizing information to write a short summary requested by the legislative assistant.
I was surprised with what I had learned in different ways: that companies can get around government agencies’ rules through bizarre loopholes, how this form of advertising has dramatically changed in the past decade or so, and the potential risks of this advertising practice, just to name a few of the things that surprised me.
I felt that I was more careful than normal while working on this project; for example, if I were to cite incorrect information in a class, I might be able to get away with it if the instructor doesn’t realize this error. But if my work is released to the public and there is something wrong with it, the blame would go directly on the Congresswoman, which could potentially result in more serious consequences with more wide-reaching effects. Once again, as a staff member of the office of a U.S. representative, my job is to ultimately represent that representative.
At this point, I am caught up with all of the projects and tasks I have been assigned (yay!), so I have no idea what’s next for me in my last two days in the local office!
I started a new project that required me to research the history of a certain form of advertising used for a specific type of product utilized by consumers across the country. I used the research skills I have learned at Maumee Valley and in elementary school: finding relevant resources, evaluating them for credibility, correlating the claims in a source to other sources, taking notes, and synthesizing information to write a short summary requested by the legislative assistant.
I was surprised with what I had learned in different ways: that companies can get around government agencies’ rules through bizarre loopholes, how this form of advertising has dramatically changed in the past decade or so, and the potential risks of this advertising practice, just to name a few of the things that surprised me.
I felt that I was more careful than normal while working on this project; for example, if I were to cite incorrect information in a class, I might be able to get away with it if the instructor doesn’t realize this error. But if my work is released to the public and there is something wrong with it, the blame would go directly on the Congresswoman, which could potentially result in more serious consequences with more wide-reaching effects. Once again, as a staff member of the office of a U.S. representative, my job is to ultimately represent that representative.
At this point, I am caught up with all of the projects and tasks I have been assigned (yay!), so I have no idea what’s next for me in my last two days in the local office!
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
8-30-2016: Investigative Research, Part 2
Today, I continued my research project on economic conditions across the country. Although I was confused with it in the beginning, I feel very good about where I am right now, and I expect to be completely done with the first phase of the project no later than tomorrow morning.
As I had somewhat stated in my previous blog post, the purpose of my research I’m doing is so that the Congresswoman and her staffers can get a better grasp of these issues that I’m currently investigating. My research will help everyone in the office stay more up-to-date on this issue. My findings from my project have already shocked me on many different levels, and I am confident that we will find the outcome that we predicted. I would have never thought of these possibilities prior to being given this project, and it has opened my mind to think differently and challenge my limits of curiosity.
I hate to say this, but I’m not sure if I could see myself as a congressional staffer. Although there are interesting parts of the job, based on what I’ve seen, there is also quite a bit of tedious work that one can’t avoid.
I chose this independent study to learn more about the role of congressional representatives and their offices, but I think I may have been hoping to spend more time meeting with constituents than I actually did. Of course, I am learning in everything that I’m doing, and I do not have any regrets of deciding to pursue this independent study option. Perhaps my work would be more interesting if I had more time to spend in one office rather than only working in the district office for a week in a half and working in the DC office for a week. But I have had many good experiences so far during my first five days, and I’m sure that everything ahead will be even better.
As I had somewhat stated in my previous blog post, the purpose of my research I’m doing is so that the Congresswoman and her staffers can get a better grasp of these issues that I’m currently investigating. My research will help everyone in the office stay more up-to-date on this issue. My findings from my project have already shocked me on many different levels, and I am confident that we will find the outcome that we predicted. I would have never thought of these possibilities prior to being given this project, and it has opened my mind to think differently and challenge my limits of curiosity.
I hate to say this, but I’m not sure if I could see myself as a congressional staffer. Although there are interesting parts of the job, based on what I’ve seen, there is also quite a bit of tedious work that one can’t avoid.
I chose this independent study to learn more about the role of congressional representatives and their offices, but I think I may have been hoping to spend more time meeting with constituents than I actually did. Of course, I am learning in everything that I’m doing, and I do not have any regrets of deciding to pursue this independent study option. Perhaps my work would be more interesting if I had more time to spend in one office rather than only working in the district office for a week in a half and working in the DC office for a week. But I have had many good experiences so far during my first five days, and I’m sure that everything ahead will be even better.
Monday, August 29, 2016
8-29-2016: Investigative Research, Part 1
I spent most of today doing working on two different research projects. All of the projects I’m working on were assigned by a different staff member, each with his or her own distinct area of interest. Most staffers specialize in a few areas of interest and will usually assist constituents with issues in those similar areas of interest. In one way or another, each project involves important issues that not only affects citizens of Ohio’s ninth congressional district, but citizens across the United States. Even if my research doesn’t end up getting used for legislative purposes, congressional aides and legislative assistants can still use my work and findings to stay on track with current events. One conclusion I’ve made: reading news articles about people who have died can become depressing when this is the only thing I’m doing for half of the day.
The first project I worked on today was to see how the region is affected by companies who relocate by researching information on the Trade Adjustment Act. My second project involves researching economic conditions in several areas across the country.
Unfortunately, there really isn’t much else to say; I intend to continue working on these projects tomorrow.
The first project I worked on today was to see how the region is affected by companies who relocate by researching information on the Trade Adjustment Act. My second project involves researching economic conditions in several areas across the country.
Unfortunately, there really isn’t much else to say; I intend to continue working on these projects tomorrow.
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