Over the course of the last year, the Citizens' Assembly has transitioned from a often overlooked body within Europeia to a vibrant place for newcomers to get involved and learn the basics of legislation. Discussion and drafting conducted in the CA has allowed for the community as a whole to truly evaluate legislative matters that affect the entire region before voting to pass along the pre-legislation to the Senate for it's debate and potential approval.
In the recent EBC panel discussion, Senator modernsin noted, “The CA is an excellent resource to groom future Senators and hone the legislative and debate skills of older members, and I believe it serves the region best in that capacity.” Associate Justice & Senator Drecq added, “The CA is meant to be there to engage and to teach. Senators, as members of the legislative body of the Republic, are uniquely well equipped to help with that through ongoing interaction with the CA.”
Both of these Senators are experienced legislators, and the EBC hopes that their commentary is indicative of the perspective of the majority of the region. CA Chair Marnip welcomed the participation of Senators in the CA, saying, “Many newer members don't understand the intricacies of certain policies and having the experience of the Senators truly helps to create meaningful legislation.” However, Marnip went on to caution Senators to use caution in their tone and to remember that Assemblymen are not the same experienced legislators that one might find in the Senate. He said, “If we don't encourage their participation and treat their replies with respect they will be gone before we have a chance to show them how great our community is.”
It's been a gradual process, but the CA's Discussion Forum on Senate Matters has also been a great source of discussion on on-going Senate discussions. Attorney General Hyanygo stated, “I have been here for a while so I know where everything is. For the newcomer, they might find the senate discussion forum more structured and to their newer tastes.” Modernsin stated, “For any piece of legislation proposed, we need to have as many eyes and voices on it as possible,” indicating that having these discussions in the CA may be better for Europeian legislation as a whole.
For Assemblymen who take an active interest in legislating and want to hone their talents before moving on to run for a Senate seat, Senator PhDre has worked 3 Senate Aides, who were, per his own statement, “given legislation that [he] drafted, and assisted [him] in the finished products which [he] introduced on the Senate floor.” He also provided his Aides with feedback on pre-legislation they were preparing to introduce in the Citizens' Assembly.
Two of his Aides are currently running for Senate, and it is too early to tell at this time whether or not Communications Minister Calvin Coolidge and Culture Minister writinglegend will gain a seat in the Senate. However, both of these Aides have stated that they feel they have gained necessary experience to fully prepare them for holding an eventual seat in the Senate in the future.
Calvin specifically noted the benefits of learning how to collaborate with other legislators on new legislation, stating, “In the CA, I feel there is less collaboration, since there are so many people, and people are less willing to work together, since nobody has to get re-elected.” Hopefully, that critique is something that all Assemblymen can and will take to heart going forward, as we move forward and continue to raise the profile and quality of legislation produced by the CA.
writinglegend focused more on the refining of his skills, during his time as Senate Aide, which made him more prepared to serve as a Senator in the future. While Assemblymen are able to do some things within the CA, which focus on crafting and amending legislation, debating the contents within, and critiquing the work of others, like Calvin stated, it can be more difficult to do so given the different culture within the CA versus the Senate. The ability to work closely with an experienced Senator, in something of a mentor/aide relationship, allowed writinglegend – and PhDre's other Aides – to benefit from having an early sneak peek at what sort of interactions might be expected of them in a Senatorial role.
Many of the issues highlighted by the people I talked to with regard to the Senator/Aide relationship could be easily mitigated by having more Senators volunteer to take on Aides. While PhDre should be admired for trying to work with all interested parties as an active Senator, having Senators and Aides paired in more one-to-one ratios would simplify the Senator/Aide communication process. In the interest of cultivating the next generation of Europeian Senators and governmental leaders, the EBC encourages each Senator who is elected in the upcoming elections to volunteer to work with an Aide from the ranks of the Assemblymen.
In closing, the words of Marnip seem to be a fitting way to end this discussion and dissection on the relationship between the Citizens' Assembly and the Senate.
“I'd like to celebrate the relationship between the two. It's remarkable that we can maintain a line between the Citizens and Legislative body in such a way that even if you weren't elected you can still have your voice heard.”
In the recent EBC panel discussion, Senator modernsin noted, “The CA is an excellent resource to groom future Senators and hone the legislative and debate skills of older members, and I believe it serves the region best in that capacity.” Associate Justice & Senator Drecq added, “The CA is meant to be there to engage and to teach. Senators, as members of the legislative body of the Republic, are uniquely well equipped to help with that through ongoing interaction with the CA.”
Both of these Senators are experienced legislators, and the EBC hopes that their commentary is indicative of the perspective of the majority of the region. CA Chair Marnip welcomed the participation of Senators in the CA, saying, “Many newer members don't understand the intricacies of certain policies and having the experience of the Senators truly helps to create meaningful legislation.” However, Marnip went on to caution Senators to use caution in their tone and to remember that Assemblymen are not the same experienced legislators that one might find in the Senate. He said, “If we don't encourage their participation and treat their replies with respect they will be gone before we have a chance to show them how great our community is.”
It's been a gradual process, but the CA's Discussion Forum on Senate Matters has also been a great source of discussion on on-going Senate discussions. Attorney General Hyanygo stated, “I have been here for a while so I know where everything is. For the newcomer, they might find the senate discussion forum more structured and to their newer tastes.” Modernsin stated, “For any piece of legislation proposed, we need to have as many eyes and voices on it as possible,” indicating that having these discussions in the CA may be better for Europeian legislation as a whole.
For Assemblymen who take an active interest in legislating and want to hone their talents before moving on to run for a Senate seat, Senator PhDre has worked 3 Senate Aides, who were, per his own statement, “given legislation that [he] drafted, and assisted [him] in the finished products which [he] introduced on the Senate floor.” He also provided his Aides with feedback on pre-legislation they were preparing to introduce in the Citizens' Assembly.
Two of his Aides are currently running for Senate, and it is too early to tell at this time whether or not Communications Minister Calvin Coolidge and Culture Minister writinglegend will gain a seat in the Senate. However, both of these Aides have stated that they feel they have gained necessary experience to fully prepare them for holding an eventual seat in the Senate in the future.
Calvin specifically noted the benefits of learning how to collaborate with other legislators on new legislation, stating, “In the CA, I feel there is less collaboration, since there are so many people, and people are less willing to work together, since nobody has to get re-elected.” Hopefully, that critique is something that all Assemblymen can and will take to heart going forward, as we move forward and continue to raise the profile and quality of legislation produced by the CA.
writinglegend focused more on the refining of his skills, during his time as Senate Aide, which made him more prepared to serve as a Senator in the future. While Assemblymen are able to do some things within the CA, which focus on crafting and amending legislation, debating the contents within, and critiquing the work of others, like Calvin stated, it can be more difficult to do so given the different culture within the CA versus the Senate. The ability to work closely with an experienced Senator, in something of a mentor/aide relationship, allowed writinglegend – and PhDre's other Aides – to benefit from having an early sneak peek at what sort of interactions might be expected of them in a Senatorial role.
Many of the issues highlighted by the people I talked to with regard to the Senator/Aide relationship could be easily mitigated by having more Senators volunteer to take on Aides. While PhDre should be admired for trying to work with all interested parties as an active Senator, having Senators and Aides paired in more one-to-one ratios would simplify the Senator/Aide communication process. In the interest of cultivating the next generation of Europeian Senators and governmental leaders, the EBC encourages each Senator who is elected in the upcoming elections to volunteer to work with an Aide from the ranks of the Assemblymen.
In closing, the words of Marnip seem to be a fitting way to end this discussion and dissection on the relationship between the Citizens' Assembly and the Senate.
“I'd like to celebrate the relationship between the two. It's remarkable that we can maintain a line between the Citizens and Legislative body in such a way that even if you weren't elected you can still have your voice heard.”
