What Do They Really Do?
--Nneka Lewis, Covington High School
--Sarah Davis, Indian River High School
A big misconception many people have about legislators is that they work year round. Actually, the General Assembly only has session for sixty days and the rest of the year is spent by working normal jobs. Virginia’s legislature is a part time legislature and most have common jobs such as teachers, doctors, lawyers, and farmers when not in session.
Not only is Bob Brinks a resource consultant for young adults attending MGA, he is also a part time state legislator. Even in his time off session, he is still working hard helping individuals. He feels it is hard to complete all work in just the 60 days the General Assembly is in session. The main job of the General Assembly is to make budgets and preview them so they are used correctly. In order to get all work completed, sub-committees are set up to meet once a month. Brinks is constantly working in committees before the General Assembly returns. When he was growing up in the Midwestern United States, he was never offered any roles, such as attending MGA. A colleague persuaded him to join. Ever since a colleague encouraged him to help, he has had a positive view on MGA, “Every year a bill from MGA students is similar to the real General Assembly,” states Brinks. He is always impressed with the students’ reactions compared to the actual General Assembly.
Many people wonder what legislators do when they are not in session. Todd Gilbert is a part time legislator from Shenandoah County, and since he is only in session for sixty days, he along with other legislators has another job. Todd is a prosecutor and a commonwealth attorney in Frederick County. He is dedicated to his job as legislator and takes vacation days from his job as prosecutor in order to attend MGA. He says he enjoys his job and is not what most people might think saying, “My job doesn’t deal with Republicans vs. Democrats, it is actually a debate between urban vs. rural. Achieving this balance is what causes friction.”
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