Hey Everyone!
April was yet another amazing month for the 2009 Pennsylvania State 4-H Council. We had a conference call so all six of us members and our advisors Dr. Bruce and Mya Rushton could touch base and get on the same track in preparation for Capitol Days. Then on the 18th Council arrived at the Hilton in Harrisburg to do final . As the preparations for the Capitol Days event. By the time that everyone else arrived at the hotel we were ready for action. That evening, the first committee meetings of the Green and White parties were held. I had the honor of being the Green Party Chair. During the meetings, the delegates went over three bills that had actually gone through the House of Representatives and Senate of Pennsylvania. Monday was an extremely busy day for all. First thing in the morning, after breakfast, the council members headed over to the Capital Building for meetings with legislators. We started out the day by going to a Representative from my area, Representative Sam Smith. He could not meet with us personally so we talked with one of his staff members, Michelle Rudloff. Throughout the rest of the day we were all over the Capital Building, including the Lieutenant Governor’s office. Also during a visit to a Senator Don White, who is also from my county, we had our fist experience on the Senate Floor. We also had the chance to sit down and talk with Dennis Wolff, Secretary of Agriculture, about what his job entails and how it is related to our 4-H program. After our time at the Capital Building was over, we had another chance to re-group with our committees for one last chance to meet before the mock legislative meeting. During the meeting Jessica, the White Party Chair, and I gave our committee reports between each bill that was discussed and Jamie did an amazing job of being the Speaker. Tuesday was our last day in Harrisburg as well as our Legislative Breakfast. There was a good turnout and a lot of chatter between legislators and 4-H members from their respective regions. Throughout our time in the State Capital we also heard from many speakers including: our State program leader Christy Bartley, Gwen Bower who spoke about the legislative process, Lori Connelly who taught everyone about dining etiquette, and Representative H. Scott Conklin. All in all Capitol Days 2009 was a great success. To those who were not there this year, I strongly encourage going to the event in 2010. As for now, have a great month and I will catch up with everyone in May!

Laura Pifer