Sunday, June 21, 2020
By:
If I were a legislator, I have the sneaky suspicion that I would get next to nothing accomplished. That is a seriously hyperbolic statement, but one of my jobs as an intern for a legislator is to write memos on bills seeking cosponsors. It’s unsurprisingly very difficult.
The most important part of these memos focuses on summarizing what the bill actually does. This is the part that makes me paranoid for a couple of reasons. First off, summarizing a 10-page piece of legislation in two paragraphs is already stressful. What parts are important? What parts are just definitions? What does this obscure line of U.S. code have to do with anything? Second, I overthink bills left and right. Is there some loophole that’s going to undermine this legislation? What sort of perverse incentives are wrapped up in this bill?
There are all sorts of things to consider when I read a bill, so some stress is warranted. That being said, I still definitely overthink them. At the time I’m writing this, over 7,000 bills have been proposed this Congress in the United States House of Representatives, most of which will never even make it out of committee. Of course, bills should be given a thorough vetting, but there is a such thing as over-vetting. Well, maybe not, but there is a such thing as vetting the wrong stuff. Then we’re back to the whole what parts matter issue. Ugh.
Part of me wants to believe this is why it’s so hard to do things in the government. We want there to be safeguards and road bumps, so things don’t slip through the cracks. I can assure you, my memos, with all their over the top research and vetting, get vetted by a legislative aide in the office before being sent further up the chain of command. Each set of eyes has an important role to play though. We need to remember, laws are words on a piece of paper, but they have real life implications for millions of Americans. It’s important that we get them right for everyone. If we don’t, then I look forward to reviewing the next 7,000 bills that try again.
Stay well,
Kyle Blasinsky