Fredrick Doss graduated in 2012 and is a Legislative Assistant for Missouri State Representative Michael Butler. Prior to his work for Rep. Butler, Fredrick worked for Rep. Brandon Ellington and the late Rep. Rory Ellinger. Before working in the Capitol, Fredrick worked for Park University in Kansas City. He also serves as a part-time political consultant and served as Director of Finance for MO House Democrats Inner Circle Political Action Committee.
And these are his own words – Take PLS 103 Seriously
Let’s be honest, most of us Political Science superstars could pretty much ace this class without even showing up, and believe me I did a fair share of not showing up to class. Although you probably should show up, you know, just in case. But I didn’t realize the value of my Missouri Government class (PLS 103) until I landed in a government job. Never before has the legislative process meant so much until I had a job where my boss relied on me to know just about everything there is to know about it. No really, everything.
I’ve been working in state government for about two years now as a legislative assistant in the Missouri House of Representatives. A significant portion of what I do is administrative stuff such as, answering the phone, answering email, or updating the calendar. However, there are also a lot of times where I become an advisor of sorts. I’m sure everyone believes our legislators are the smartest people out there right? I mean really, who are we kidding?! While our legislators are pretty smart in their fields, most of them are unfamiliar with government and the legislative process. Legislators come from all walks of life. They’re farmers, lawyers, realtors, insurance agents and even taxi drivers (I promise I did not make that up). What I’ve come to discover is that they rely a lot on their legislative assistants to point them in the right direction a lot when it comes to doing their jobs. This is where PLS 103 comes in handy.
I spend a lot of my time tracking bills that come through committees that my legislator sits on. I read most, if not all, of the bills prior to their scheduled hearing, and often make notes for my boss in the margins. These usually amount to “This is ambiguous”, “this should be more specific”, “Republicans will latch on to this”, “this could make for a good talking point”, and sometimes the infamous “drafting error?” I also jot down questions I think they should ask, or questions I think other legislators might ask. If there is anything that Political Science at Missouri State teaches you better than any other school in Missouri, it’s to think critically. So take advantage of every opportunity to sharpen those skills.
Anyway, where was I? Oh right, PLS 103. I guess the easiest way to explain would be to tell a story, so here goes. I remember my first veto session in September of 2013. I was sitting in on a conversation with some new and returning legislators about a bill that would probably get brought up for an override on the first day of the session, and in the middle of the conversation I was asked, “How many votes does it take to override out of both houses?” I remember not knowing the answer, and straight up guessing, yeah it happens. I answered, “109 in the House and 23 in the Senate I believe.” Of course I took out my phone and double checked myself while no one was looking (thank God I was right), but I remember thinking that how is it possible that a room full of elected officials didn’t know the answer to such a simple question. Furthermore, they just assumed I was right! No one even thought to question it or double-check. This is the case more often than not. We are asked all kinds of questions about Missouri Government, and we’re just expected to know. Such as how our state budget is financed, how exactly do we pass a budget (it takes 13 painstaking bills by the way, all of which have to be voted on individually), how can I add an amendment onto a bill, how long does the Governor have to sign a bill once it’s truly agreed and finally passed?
This has been the case with not only legislators, but with constituents, lobbyists and special interest advocates. The common denominator when it comes to answering any of their questions is PLS 103. The day I took that shot in the dark guess on votes during veto session had to have come from PLS 103. I mean honestly, where else would I have heard it? I remembered we learned not only the basics, but the fundamentals of Missouri government, and it has kept me in the know every day. Many of the other legislative assistants, and interns have had to simply learn by doing or asking others. Missouri State’s Political Science department is one of the few that does a good job in the area of Missouri Government, so take PLS 103 seriously.
P.S. Please do an internship!!!!! The capitol is flooded with University of Missouri and Truman interns every year, and while those are fantastic institutions (wink), it would be lovely to have some MSU students representing our university each spring.