FROM THE DESK OF SENATOR DAVID LONG
This will be a short article, just talking about what a legislator does when we are not in Session. I’ll have to review this from the perspective of yours truly, since that’s the best reference I have.
The longer you are in the Legislature, the more involved you become, and the more time you must devote to the job. In every legislator’s case, there is always constituent service to which you must attend. That means returning many phone calls and e-mails, and helping those who need assistance in navigating through the often difficult and frustrating state government bureaucracy. There are also many speeches to give, schools to visit, and individuals requesting time to meet with you personally over a particular interest they might have.
However, there are also regular committees that meet during the “out-of-session” periods, through the late spring, summer, and fall. These, in particular, continue to grow in size and importance, and I am caught up in a number of them.
First, I am the Chairman of the State Sentencing Commission, which is exploring comprehensive changes to the way we sentence non-violent criminals, as well as increased funding and support for local community corrections programs. This is an incredibly important commission, in that it faces major pressure to reduce the State’s ever-growing corrections budget, while providing comprehensive reform to the treatment of convicted offenders. The commission is expected to provide significant recommendations to the General Assembly by November 2004.
I am also likely to be appointed to the new Local Government Study Commission, which will take two years to review how local government is funded, where we might make changes, where we can save money by consolidating services, etc. The commission will also take a look at what other cities and states have done, in particular Kentucky, Missouri, and Florida. This will have a major impact upon what Allen county will do with its own consolidation study.
Other groups that I serve upon include the Commission on Courts, which reviews all requests made concerning legislative initiatives for our court systems; the Regulatory Flexibility Commission, which is a joint Senate-House commission that discusses cutting edge issues with utilities in our State; the Governor’s Criminal Law Study Commission, which analyzes the key criminal issues of the day, such as the Death Penalty; and, likely, the Forensic Diversion Study Commission, which will review new, cutting edge programs concerning the incarceration of the mentally ill.
That’s a lot of time and effort, and requires a regular presence down in Indianapolis. However, I’d rather be engaged and working on these important matters than sitting on the sidelines and watching others do the work. For the record, I am also the Assistant Majority Leader for the Senate, which requires additional time helping manage the Indiana Senate operations.
I hope this gives you some idea about the time commitment required to be an effective legislator. It requires some sacrifices, but I think they are well worth it if the time committed helps make our community, and our State, a better place to live for all of us.
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