Ashley Hyde visited the Utah Legislature as part of an assignment for their American Civilization class. During their visit, Hyde observed proceedings in both the House and the Senate. In the House, representatives debated bills rapidly and voted as a group by saying "yay" or "nay". The Senate moved at a slower pace, with individual senators casting votes after their names were called. Hyde found the processes in each chamber to be quite different.

1. Ashley Hyde
American Civilization 1700
Christine Waters
Utah Legislature Assignment
! As an assignment for my American Civilization class at Salt Lake Community
College, I was asked to visit the Utah Legislature while it was in session at the Utah
State Capital Building. Spending at least a half hour in both the general assembly of the
House and Senate.
! I attended the floor time of the House at 10:00 am. As I walked through the
double doors I was pointed to by one of the volunteers. I entered onto a balcony room
that looked down onto the legislature floor room. Immediately after I sat down I began
to get intrigued about the debate the district leaders below were having. From what I
picked up quickly they were in discussion of a bill to require federal overreach of rural
towns, but it was still not clear to me. Ken Ivory a Salt Lake County Representative
stood up and read an article on President Obama, in his closing argument he repeated
“you can have the liberty to do exactly what we tell you can do.” He thanked the
Madame Speaker of the House and sat down. The decision on the bill was made so fast
I could not pick up on the outcome.
! As I gazed down onto the floor I noticed that each male representative wore
either a red or blue tie. They spoke with soft voices but with passion about every bill
that was brought to attention and read aloud. Using language that I could not follow half
of the time, and by the time I could get an idea about what was being discussed the bill

2. had been approved or opposed. They voted as a group as they stated yay or nay in
stronger voices then they spoke with, and some votes took longer than others.
! A soft bell rang after each vote had been decided on. I noticed that the door
below opened and people that had been standing in the hall enter the room with their
thumbs up or down, I did not know what it meant but I did find it interesting. During a
general assembly break representative Dixon Pitcher ask to turn attention to the Ogden
Elementary class that had decided to visit the Utah Capital for the day an observe the
session as well. He thanked them for attending and called for a round of applause for
the young students. Shortly after that I exited to attend the Senate general assembly.
! I walked down the hall and entered another room for the Senate general
assembly session. I quickly found a seat close to the railing and gazed down upon all
the senators. The Senate general assembly seemed to run comparatively different from
the House. The senators acted imperturbable in the way they spoke to one another
about the bills. All laughing and making “inside jokes” that no one appeared to get but
them. The process of bills being read out loud was a lot clearer and slower. I could
follow along much easier with what they where actually talking about. The senate also
voted in a completely different way about the bills. Last names where individually called
by one of the three individuals sitting round close to Michael G. Waddoups, the
President of the senate. After the names where called it was followed by a slight silent
pause, then the senator casted a yay or nay vote. The senators did not thank the
president after discussion of the bills in the way they thanked the speaker of the house,
they were much more informal in doing so.