New members of the 124th Legislature came together for their first meeting on November 12th for an orientation. We did many housekeeping details, filling out forms, getting pictures for our security badges, meeting with staff members of the legislature and learning important things such as… where the bathrooms and cafeteria are located.

We also began to learn about the operation of the Legislature and the many non-partisan and dedicated people who will assist us in making the process work.

There are the offices of:

Policy & Legal Analysis – which reviews proposed bills to assure that they don’t conflict with current statutes, the staff also prepares reports for the legislature and compiles the results of studies commissioned by state government.

Fiscal & Program Review – which reviews all fiscal questions that may come before the legislature prepares budget and revenue summaries and other reports that may be of value in the discussion of legislative matters.

Office of the Revisor- this office is charged helping craft the proper language for proposed legislation and withreview of all proposed bills to assure they do not conflict with present statutes.

For more details on these entities, their staffs and how they serve the Legislature cand be accessed at www.legislature.maine.gov

The new incoming members were back in Augusta on December 1st for additional orientation, this morning we convened in the House chambers and received training on the protocol of the House asnd its operations.

We had a presentation by Gene Ross, Director of Communications for the National Conference of State Legislatures on services provided by their organization and a primer on effective means of communicating with constiuients.

Later in the day we were briefed on fiscal & policy conditions in the state and then we held a mock session. Things can move quickly when we are in session, so there are procedures which can be very effective in maintaining order and allowing the business  to flow, understanding the procedures and when and how to address the Speaker is important.

The following day, December 2nd  was mandatory for all members of the incoming Legislature to attend during this day we were provided training on legislative ethics and right to know laws. Tuesday evening we attended a reception and banquet where outgoing members of the Legislative Council were honored for their service.

It was a very full two days and provided a glimpse of what the coming months will bring.