| Barnitz says Missouri legislative internships are a valuable experience |
By: State Sen. Frank Barnitz
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Posted: Saturday, May 15, 2010 11:13 pm
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State Sen. Frank Barnitz
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (May 15, 2010) — By the time you read this, the 2010 legislative session will be over. The final gavel fell on May 14 at 6 p.m. This session was complicated by budget difficulties, but overall, I was pleased with the work we completed as a Senate. In future columns, I will go into more detail on the initiatives and legislation that we passed this session to benefit our state. This week, however, I would like to talk about another successful aspect of this session.
The end of the legislative session also marks the final days for our legislative interns. This year, we were lucky to have two students from the district in the office, and both of them served as valuable members of the staff. During the session, while I am often busy on the Senate floor or in committee meetings, my office staff is busy answering constituent phone calls, greeting guests, and working on issues important to those of you back in the district. Our interns this year really stepped up and were always there to answer the phone, comb through local newspapers, or take groups around the Capitol. I truly appreciated their hard work this year.
Mandi Scheulen of Loose Creek is a junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia majoring in Agribusiness Management. She immediately took interest in the many agricultural issues that we deal with and her input on legislation was valuable. With her father and uncle in politics, she had a lot of interest in the process, and I hope we were able to give here a better understanding of how laws are created.
John Scheppers of Folk is a political science major at Lincoln University. A father, husband, and student, I was so pleased John could join us this session. He immediately took interest in issues from the district and was especially helpful in helping us keep up with e-mail correspondence. He once expressed interest in pursuing politics, and I wish him the best of luck in all of his future endeavors.
We really enjoy having students from the district in our office. They are helpful in what is often a demanding atmosphere. I also think that working in the Capitol provides a valuable educational experience for these students and gives them an opportunity that is not available to their classmates. I encourage students from the 16th District to look into their own legislative internship program or to contact my office at (573) 751-2108. The legislative session runs from January through May, which corresponds to the spring semester. We would love to have you.
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If you would like to start receiving my column regularly, please visit my website at www.senate.mo.gov/barnitz and click the “Sign Up to Receive My E-Newsletter” link located under Constituent Services.
As always, I appreciate hearing your comments, opinions, and concerns. Please feel free to call me in Jefferson City at (573) 751-2108. You can also write to the address listed below:
Capitol Office
State Capitol Building
Room 427
Jefferson City, MO 65101
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