Persian New Year

So last Tuesday was the Persian New Year- it was kind of a tough day since my whole family is back in CA. Traditionally for New Years we all get together- kind of like my big fat greek wedding- everyone must wear new outfits ( to signify a fresh start to the new year),there are hundreds of us in one house, everyone brings food, we eat, we talk, we dance. Just a good time. Although it was tough being away from home- I was lucky enough to have some amazing friends take me out for persian food and share in some of the customs with me. For instance one fun tradition is tying grass into a knot- you are supposed to do this and make a wish for the coming year. Persian New Years goes on for a few days its not a one day gig.
I think one of the toughest parts of being away from home is missing out on the traditional stuff with family- but I guess in the same breath its nice to share something new with people who have never celebrated...so Happy New year everyone!!

The Week of Never Ending Committees

It looks like the session is going to be coming to an end sooner than we thought. This week has been hectic to say the least. Every committee has had at least 20 bills in it- making for very long nights for the Senators and support staff. The week began with about 30 bills in Judiciary and is ending with about 22 bills in Finance. I believe unless something is left committees will be done this week. Which means unless a special committee is called, the rest of the time will be spent between floor and caucus. Its amazing how quickly session is coming to a close- I felt like last year committees were going on for forever. This last minute push to get these bills heard in committee is amazing.
In addition to keeping an eye on all of Senator Jackson's bills and their movement throughout the house- yesterday we had Native American Caucus.This meeting happens every other week and covers issues that are important to the many tribes in Arizona. The caucus is lead by Senator Jackson, Rep. Hale, and Rep. Gonzalez- yesterday's topic was indian gaming. It's s interesting to see how certain things effect tribes- for instance the week before we discussed redistricting and its effects on tribes and tribal land. The coming weeks should be quite intense..I will keep you guys posted.

Never A Dull Day

Today Senator Jackson had finance committee in the morning and I assumed it would be a slow morning since he was in there- I was kidding myself. Finance committee turned out to be very interesting today they heard House Bill 2627 in the committee which was in regards to tax credits for charitable organizations. The concern of this bill was that tax credits were being given to charitable organizations that promoted or performed abortions ( at least that is what I heard from the sponsor of the bill while watching committee). This bill would effect organizations like planned parenthood- for such what I would consider a controversial bill, there were very few people signed in to speak for or against the bill. The bill passed out of committee 4-2. I guess just another Thursday at the Senate...

Finally Friday

TGIF - for sure!! It's been an interesting week to say the least. Although leaving the page office at first seemed kind of hard- especially since it was all I knew. I think I have finally started adjusting to my position as an assistant. To say my boss is not awesome would be an understatement. He has really helped me adjust and has a lot of patience for my 1001 questions. It's funny how different life is when you move upstairs. As a page I would see all the lobbiests downstairs and to me if anything they were just another body to move around as I was trying to run errands. As an assistant these are all people who want the Senator's time and will shmooze their way in any way they can. It's kind of nice not to be seen as a mignon anymore.
This week was great for Senator Jackson he had 4 bills pass out of the Senate moving over to the house now. It's definitely not an easy task for a democratic senator. The wheeling and dealing process involved with getting bills heard and getting members of the opposite party to understand and be on board is quite involved and time consuming, especially with session being as short as it is- you have to go go go.
Yesterday in the border security committee meeting they invited a gentleman from American Border Patrol- who was openly racist and anti-semitic. A few of the senators on the committee took great offense to his presence and stormed out of the committtee. It was interesting to say the least. When this matter was addressed on the Senate Floor it was amazing the amount of research that was found in regards to this gentleman's disgust and hatred for others- and how not enough research into his background was conducted prior to his appearance in the Senate.
Every day is a learning experience- thats for sure-