The past week was a good start on consideration of Senate bills with committees meeting almost every day. Then the rumors started flying; the Speaker is going to shorten the session by nine days and try to adjourn on March 5. That means Feb. 15 through 22 are the only days remaining for committee work. The public may say that seems like plenty of time to accomplish the business at hand, but legislators all serve on multiple committees and the scheduling of meetings is very difficult. The scheduler must avoid putting too many hearings on top of one another. Long story short: shortening the committee time to consider bills can result in some serious issues not being resolved, and the excuse can be made that "the General Assembly didn't have time to consider your issue." End result: some important issues will go by the wayside with a shortened session. On a more personal note, I learned some history about nearby Perrysburg from my Aunt Mildred who is now 95 years old. She shared with me that around 1920, the Indiana State Representative for Miami County was a man named Burton Green, whose farm adjoined the original Friend family farm where I now reside with my wife, Ann. If I look to the west toward Perrysburg, I can see the house where Rep. Burton Green lived. Aunt Mildred said that Rep. Green used to visit the Friend family farm and nicknamed my father "Johnny." I know this is just historical trivia for some, but there is some irony that Perrysburg residents have represented Miami County in the legislature some 90 years apart. Much larger cities and towns can't make that claim. Saturday, at Miller's Merry Manor in Peru, I was honored to present a fundraising check to Helping Hands of Peru after the voting was concluded for the Miller's Sweetheart King & Queen contest. There are always three men and three women candidates, and the community votes by contributing money for the respective candidate. My brother, Jim, who is a resident at Miller's, was elected the king, and Ruby Echelbarger was elected the queen. I was extremely proud of my brother and pleased for his recognition. The family will remember this for a long time, and we do appreciate the support received from Miller's Merry Manor. Perhaps more importantly, the contest raised almost $2,000 for Helping Hands in Peru. I was able to speak briefly to the nice crowd at Miller's Merry Manor. My message was positive and simple: Miami County and this area are hardworking, compassionate and generous people who recognize misfortune and hardship and respond with generosity to help the less fortunate. It is an honor for me to represent this area.
More later, Bill Friend |
