After we were done watching bills in the House Chamber, Pete let us go off on our own to explore the Capitol, talk with other politicians and stakeholders. In the lobby area of the Capitol, groups typically take photos or gather around and usually there are tables for members of organization to handout information. One of the table was Moms Demand Action where I got to meet Laura Judge. She is featured on the right picture! The ladies at this table were very nice and introduced themselves to me, then handed me a handout that is at the bottom.

I loved going to the Georgia Capitol, it had exciting energy and it felt special to be able to get in the action of current GA legislature. I also loved the architecture inside because they not only had the original telephone booths, which me and Leon sat in (left picture) but they also have all of the Georgia history. There are statues of the Declaration of Independence signors from Georgia, such as Gwinnett, and they had hand-painted pictures of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. To me, seeing this important Georgia history felt special and could potenitally have been overlooked. Another thing that surprised me was the time it took to get to conversating about the bills. In the right picture, you see Leon, me and Pete sitting in the gallery of the House Chamber (behind us are The Boykinz- Golden Buzzer winners for America’s Got Talent!!) While we were sitting, we saw current students and journalists writing down notes while bills were brought into attention, and later passed. This public view on passing bills and the representative’s view on bills was very interesting. As I mentioned, there were a couple of representatives who voted ‘Nay’ on HB657 and when this happened, Pete said to pay special attention to those who vote against something that is widely supported. Learning about applicable bills, since I am a Georgia citizen, is helpful because it is very important to stay informed on passable legislature. Watching the organization of the assembly from above, where I can see what representative is talking to who, gives you an insight into potential sponsors, cliques or agreeable stances. Overall, this trip felt like a whole mini world where time seemed to stop. It felt like anything could be possible, from one Chamber to the next as you heard loud uproars in the other room while sitting in the House Chamber. I would love to go to the Capitol again and this is an experience I will never forget!