On March 14^th, I was given the privilege of attending the annual "Project Legislature" at our state's Capitol Building. Accompanied by our Management VP, Hiral Patel, we started our temporary positions as State Representatives at nine am. As we entered the legislative floor, we seated ourselves in the middle, back half, of the Representative Chamber. By taking these desks, we took on the personas of State Representatives Gino Polidori and Andy Neumann, which put us on the "freedom" party, otherwise known as the Democratic majority party.

After an address from Representative Leblanc from Westland, we were told what our workday would consist of, and were given a packet of proposed bills that are affecting the State of Michigan currently.

After some brief instruction, the two parties divided into different rooms of the Capitol building, our room being the "Veterans Room" on the third floor.

For the next hour or so, our group analyzed and prioritized the proposed bills, and decided which of these had the sufficient support to pass, and which didn't. We were split into committees, where we hashed it out, and debated with other Jaycees on whether or not to support certain bills. After a brief debate, we were released to lunch for an hour, at the Nuthouse, a local eating establishment on Michigan Avenue.

At lunch we were split up into separate tables, where we had the opportunity to meet Jaycees from different areas, and learn about some of the different things they are doing in their own communities.

After lunch, business continued as planned, and we were directed back to our committees, where more debate was engaged. Hiral and I joined the committee whose specific bill of debate was to allow "No Reason Absentee Voting," which a Jaycee member of Ypsilanti and I was in support of passing. We debated with the rest of the group, and won over the majority caucus.

All of this led up to the main event, which was two and a half hours of argument, agreement, debate, and discussion. The object was to get 56 of 110 Representatives to vote "Aye" (yes) on a bill for passage. To get the required number for passage, it meant we had to sway the minority vote, since we only occupied 45 of the 67 seats on our side.

The impressive part of this experience to me was the vast knowledge and understanding of the subject many of our fellow Jaycees had. Although there may have not been as much hustling and bustling as you might see on the floor Monday through Friday, the average person would not have noticed much of a difference. I am sure you will see a handful of these Jaycees holding office positions some day, although don't expect to see me on the ballot anytime soon, I will definitely be keeping my day job.

To sum things up, it was a very fun and educational experience, and something I would have never been able to experience if it weren't for being part of the Jaycees.

I look forward to attending as many of these unique events as possible in the future, and encourage everyone else to do so also. There are many different events put on by our state and regional chapters every month, throughout Michigan. They are truly fantastic opportunities to expand your horizons, meet new people, and have fun outside of your own personal element. All of these events can be viewed on either our site or the State Chapter's site (http://www.mijaycees.org). I hope to attend some of these with all of you soon!

Questions or Comments write to the Author Brett Patterson

PHOTOS by Hiral Patel