There are many cool aspects about working at a building like Iowa's capitol building. For starters, the building itself is a work of art. If you have a chance to check it out, take a moment to just look at the walls, the columns, and the artwork. The building was made from different stones from all over the world and it really is a privilege to work in it.

Another cool part of working in Iowa's capitol building is that Iowa is first for Presidential caucuses, and that means we are already getting extra attention as a state. The entire nation pays close attention to who wins in Iowa, and more than anything, it almost proves that Iowans are among the most well informed and trusted voters in the country.

I have already been able to see Congresswomen Michele Bachmann at the capitol building and multiple other potential Presidential candidates were in Des Moines over the weekend to speak at Steve King's event at the Marriott.

I wasn't particularly enthused about working on a Saturday last weekend, but at the end of the day I realized I had really enjoyed it and that it was a unique opportunity to hear the opinions of some of the people who may end up the most powerful person in the free world.

It is unique opportunities like these that are making me enjoy being a lobbyist in the state of Iowa.

We have been busy this week at the Capitol Building and we have a lot more work to get done. One thing we are currently working on is speaking with Legislators about becoming members of the Iowa Energy Forum, a group of Iowans concerned with where the state and the nation's energy policies are headed.

The Iowa Energy Forum supports all types of energy, from fossil fuels to solar and wind energy. A comprehensive strategy would be the best strategy for all involved.

The Iowa Energy Forum does have a Facebook page, found linked at the bottom of this post. Please feel free to check out the Facebook page as it is frequently updated with new information and topics that really should be discussed by everybody. I encourage you to "like" the Iowa Energy Forum's Facebook page and start or get involved in some discussion on the page.

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Iowa-Energy-Forum/137090919663389

Funnel Week

This week in the Iowa legislature is Funnel Week. What I have come to understand is that this means if a bill is not out of the committee in the chamber in which it started, then it is dead.

This is very important to Capitol Strategies Group, Inc. because we have a couple of issues that need to be resolved before the deadline. We are working on getting two very important pieces of legislation passed out of the committee this week and we are confident that we can accomplish our goals.

I have been told the further we get into the session, the more hectic it becomes. While my first two months have not been a cakewalk, this is an added dimension. We are under pressure to get our bills out of committee so they have a chance to go to the other chamber and it is Wednesday, which means we likely only have today and tomorrow.

After funnel week, a bill then has two weeks to pass out of committee in the other chamber, which is more added stress. With these deadlines I can see where one might get the impression of the crescendo effect, where pressure and stress build over time in the session.

I will post later about how we did with regards to my first funnel week experience.