#greenkill

On the weekend of November 13, delegates from across the state gathered at YMCA Camp Greenkill for the annual Judicial Training Conference. Those in attendance were either Presiding Officers or Justices within the program. During the weekend, both groups received training that would prepare them for the annual state conference held in March. Starting rather early on Saturday morning, the PO’s and judicial folks separated to begin their respective work.

While the the Presiding Officers worked diligently with State Director Mark Rutkowski, the justices met with Judicial Coordinator Joe DePadilla. During this session, justices went over all 4 cases, as well as cross-cases, which may be referenced to support an argument. The justices prompted discussion by asking questions they had on a particular cases, as well as offering potential arguments for each side. After taking notes on the various cases, the delegates broke up into smaller groups led by advisors. In these smaller groups, they worked on the specifics of each case and practiced asking attorneys questions.

After breakfast, the Presiding Officers met with Mark and the other district coordinators to review issues presented at September Greenkill, as well as address any new issues. The first issue covered was numbers of delegates per branch and the allowable quota. Although the number of allowed delegates in the judicial and legislative branches saw no change, the numbers for Press and Lobbyists programs did. Both saw an increase of 4 and 6 delegates, respectively.

The PO group also engaged in legislative training with District 6 coordinator Janine Giordano (”G”). Despite it being only my second experience in the legislative branch - the first being at the Conference on National Affairs in July - it was interesting to learn how chairing a legislative session works.  Although it was mostly review for the Lt. Governor, President Pro Tempore, Speakers and Deputy Speakers, I actually learned a lot, such as how bills are ranked or how veto overrides work. To reinforce what we had just been taught, we chaired and debated on mock bills such as the creation of a new state called “New Amsterdam” or the banning of Starbucks Red Cups in New York.

It seems that the general consensus is that the weekend was very productive for all those in attendance. Judicial training went well and they plan to work as efficiently and effectively as possible in the months leading up to the state conference. The PO group also put in work attending to the behind-the-scenes issues that allow the conference to run smoothly. So, if this past weekend is any indicator, the 80th State Conference is sure to be one to remember.

Last weekend, delegates from every district including Presiding Officers, Committee Chairs, and Executive Cabinet members met up at YMCA Camp Greenkill in Hugenot, NY for the last planning meeting of the year before the annual state conference next month. The weekend had a tight agenda, in which many tasks had to be completed. 

First, for the Presiding Officers, particularly the Speakers, Deputy Speakers, President Pro-Tempore, and Lt. Governor, had a long and grueling day of dividing all of the bills, into Assembly Freedom, Assembly Liberty, and the Senate. After this, they had to split each bill group into a committee. This year, the committees were formed to be very diverse including mixing districts, bill topics and candidates for leadership positions. Following, the committee groupings had to be reviewed numerous times, and then had to be typed up for the bill book. 

In another room downstairs, Youth Governor Christy Zegel and her Executive Cabinet spent the day reviewing all of the bills and making decisions. The group had a long list of bills and a short amount of time, so they had to make good use of their time and work thoroughly on each. The Cabinet had a great day full of debating. This will later help Governor Zegel to unveil her agenda during her State of the State Address on Saturday of the state conference. 

Lastly, the Committee Chairs spent their day training for the state conference with District 6 Coordinator, Janine "G" Giordano. They learned many viable skills, such as organization and time management, that will help both their committees and themselves prosper in Albany. 

As a whole, an incredible amount of work was put into the weekend, and it was a great success. With February Greenkill officially in the books, we look forward to having another great (and quickly approaching) state conference!