This past week, fellow Communication major Loren Glossner got the opportunity to travel to Harrisburg. During this visit to the capital Loren spent the day observing and following the 76th District State Representative Stephane Borowicz. In this reflection of the day spend at Harrisburg we will go over what she did, who she met, expectations, education, and the skills one might need to be a Representative of their district.
Loren arrived at the capital, eager to learn while observing the daily aspects of being a Representative. She was able to attend a Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness committee, meet Stephanie Borowicz and and hear of additions to bills listed in their agenda. However, Loren was unable to go with State Representative Borowicz to her public hearing on hydrogen’s potential as an energy source as the Veterans committee meeting took longer than expected. Once State Representative Borowicz was finished with committee meetings she took Loren to the House floor for pictures before the introduction session for the House meeting that day.
During the pictures, Loren met an officer of the House, State Representative Bryan Cutler who serves district 100 since 2007. State Representative Cutler also gave her advice on life and education before the session began. At the beginning of the introductions Representatives who were retiring spoke and presented a gift, before spectators in the gallery were recognized in front of the whole House. As Loren met many people throughout the day, she also met Health Chair Representative of the 65th District, Kathy Rapp, who has been a member of the House since 2005.
When coming to Harrisburg, Loren had no expectations of meeting all the people she had. All she had expected was to have the best learning experience from State Representative Borowicz, along with getting a better understanding of how our government works. The whole day had exceeded her expectations for that day, and she was grateful for the experience and the opportunity to meet other State Representatives as well as see the capital.
State representatives are elected to office by the voters in their districts. When serving as state representatives they are responsible for representing the interests of their constituents and upholding the laws and the constitution of their state. The job a state representative has includes proposing bills that can become laws. Members of both the House of Representatives and the state’s Senate can introduce bills. Once passed, they can either be signed into law or vetoed by the governor. Representatives can also vote on the annual budget proposed by the governor.
No formal education or experience is required to become a state legislator. However, a candidate for elected office should have a professional experience related to the post they are seeking. For example, a degree in political science often leads into a political career. States may also impose specific requirements regarding age or residency. A big key factor is to educate yourself on the local issues that are important to the people in your specific region, unless you would prefer to remain independent or join the political party that most represents your beliefs.
