The morning walk from the garage to the Miller Senate Building on March 6 was freezing at 27 degrees. Once inside, my guest and I were greeted by league volunteers, warm coffee and well organized topic papers to peruse.

As a League newbie, we were ushered to a fabulous tour of the legislative complex by well informed State guide, Sue Williams. A memorable stop was visiting “Mr. Bill” in the Department of Legislative Services. Only a month into the 2018 session, nearly 3,100 bills were recorded, with many more to arrive in the months ahead. Upon asking, we learned that the public’s most requested bills involve gun control. The House of Delegates was in full session and acknowledged us LWVMD members in the Gallery.

The lunch program was adeptly designed to foster relationships and to educate. Sue Cochran, a past LWVAAC President, sought out new members. We learned that on visits to delegate offices, League members heard concerns about same day voter registration. Nikki Charlson of the Board of Elections spoke on topics ranging from election security to same day registration. Vickie Gruber, executive director of Legislative Services, and Ryan Bishop presented an overview of the fiscal 2019 budget, answering questions from education deficits to gaming revenue.

It was a great audience filled with bright members asking intelligent questions. Thank you to all the people who made Legislative Day a success.

Marguerite Harbachewski