Reflections of My First Week on the Hill - Miriam

Ever since I was a little girl, I have been extremely patriotic. I am lucky to have parents who taught me at a young age about how lucky I was to live in a place where we could speak, worship, and act freely. While there are obvious concerns about the current state of our national government, I have always felt that as long as we do our best to abide by and advocate for the principles outlined in the Constitution by our Founding Fathers, we would be okay. Getting to see the inspired political process up close during the first week of the Utah Legislative Session through my internship with Family Policy Resource has been so educational, enlightening, and exciting! There have been a couple prominent take-aways that I would like to share:

1. There is no better way to understand the political process than to dive in yourself. I don’t know how many times I’ve had the “How a Bill Becomes a Law” lesson through my years of schooling. Needless to say, it’s been too many to count and I’ve still never really understood it. But nothing beats actually being there inside the beautiful Capitol. Walking through the ornate rooms where the House and the Senate meet, attending various Committee Meetings, and meeting legislators has done more to help me understand the political process than dozens of textbooks ever could have. Come up and see for yourself! 
2. It’s easy to participate and make a difference. Despite what Facebook may have you believe, angry status updates and vulgar signs and marches aren’t the most effective way to actually make a difference. The good news is, your legislators are working endlessly at the Capitol right now just to represent your interests. They legitimately want to know how you feel about certain issues - it’s actually their entire job to do so. Visit www.le.utah.gov, and search for some topics you feel passionately about in the search bar. If related bills come up, go ahead and look through them. If you see they’ll be going to Committee Meeting soon, feel free to attend and give testimony! You’re also welcome to set up an appointment with the bill sponsor during floor time by sending in a note to meet with them. You can contact your Senator or Representative by e-mail, letter, or phone call to express concerns and support or set up a private meeting with them, too. Facebook venting is totally allowed if you’d like, but if you want to actually do something about it, visit the Hill! 

Our government is truly one for the people, by the people. The process isn’t complete without us - the people! It’s up to us. We can hold our leaders accountable for promoting Constitutional principles. We can advocate for the values and ideas that will make our country stronger and more unified. We can initiate civil conversation that leads to the most effective public policy. We can and we must, or no one else will. I invite you to join me and get involved yourself!

- Miriam Merrill