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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 1979)
Paqe 10 THE BATTALION ** WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1979 Intern learns inside politics in Austin By MARK HERRON Battalion Reporter Brian Roop is an Aggie who has learned a few things about the state Legislature in Texas. But most of his knowledge didn’t come from lec tures in Political Science 207. He’s an intern for the state Legislature. “The first thing a representative has to learn is there are certain people in the capital you need to get in good with,” he said. “If they like you, it might mean a few more fa vorable votes when you submit a bill to their committee. “I didn’t hear things like that in a political science class,” he said. Roop went to Austin when the legislature session began in January. After graduation from Texas A&M University in August with a degree in wildlife and fisheries science, Roop said, “I wanted to go to graduate school and the Agricultural Development program loooked pre tty good to me. “It’s a 36-hour program, and you make up your own degree plan,” he said. “You can lean toward any field of agriculture you want. ” Roop said he decided to specialize in agricultural economics because of his interest in banking and finance. “The Agricultural Development program includes an internship which you earn 10 hours of credit,” he said. When his adviser, John Holcomb, a professor in the agricultural educa tion department, told him of an in ternship with the state Legislature, “I was intrigued,” Roop said. “I knew it would be a good oppor tunity to make some contacts be cause all the big agricultural com panies lobby in Austin,” he said. Roop said he was given the in ternship after only three people applied for the position. In an inter view Saturday, Roop said he is enjoying his work in the capital, and he has changed his mind about Texas politics. A San Antonio native, Roop works with Rep. Forrest Green, the chairman of the Agricultural and Livestock Committee. “I feel like I’m an intergal part of what’s going on,” he said. Battalion photo by Liz Newlin Brian Roop, a Texas A&M University graduate, is working on his master’s degree by interning with the Texas Legislature in Austin. Roop is working for Rep. Forrest Green, the chair man of the Agricultural and Livestock Committee. more about a bill before Roop said his main function is to write an analysis of each bill the committee is to hear. “It might be a 15-page bill and I have to condense it to one page,” he said. There are 50 bills to be heard in the Agriculture and Livestock Committee alone, Roop said, and most of the committee members are on other committees as well. “The committee members de pend a lot on my analysis because there’s no way they would have time to read each bill in its complete form.” Roop said he also records the minutes of each committee meeting so the public can review action,on the bills. Another time-consuming task, Roop said, is doing research for committee members who want to find out they vote. Roop said he spends almost two hours a day talking on the phone to, or writing letters to Green’s con stituents, informing them of the progress of certain bills. “I usually write the letters and Mr. Green signs them,” he said. Roop is paid $500 a month, which covers his living expenses and leaves a little to spare, he said. “About $300 comes from a special legislative fund for interns and Elanco (an agricultural chemical company) pays the rest.” Roop said Elanco receives no political favors for sponsoring the in ternship. Roop said he had always thought Texas politicians were a bunch of corrupt, stuffed shirts. “But almost all of the representatives and politi cians are very responsible to their position.” Roop said their concern for the state often outweighs their desire to please their constituents. There are a few representatives that are not so responsible, though, Roop said. “Some of them don’t make it to committee meetings, or might not show up for a vote on the House floor and that’s bad because tax payers are paying their salerlies, ” he said. Roop said he rather not name the representatives, but said there are a few “left wingers that are always causing trouble.” “They’ll get weeded out sooner or later,’’ Roop said. “Their con stituents are not as dumb as they think.” Before going to Austin, “I had a dim view of lobbyists,” he said. “I always thought lobbyists were crooks who took you out to dinner and tried to coerce you into doing something.” Roop said he has not seen any “underhanded dealings” between lobbyists and politicians. “They can’t afford to,” he said. “If word gets around that a lobbyist is doing something crooked, he’ll lose his ef fectiveness. “Lobbyists are sources of informa tion, and they just try influence ac tion that will help the people they represent.” Lobbyists are not the only ones who come to testify before legisla tive committees, Roop said. “Farmers and ranchers come in all the time to discuss bills,” he said. “They’re given just as much consid eration as the lieutenant governor of Minnesota, who came in the other day.” Green’s committee meets once a week and sometimes hears tes- LAKEVIEW CLUB 8oxcaR Silly's 3 Miles N. on Tabor Road Saturday Night: The Little Bit of Texas From 9-1 p.m. STAMPEDEDANCE Every Thursday Night $2.00 per person All Brands, Cold Beer 55 Cents 8-12 w 309 Beach St. Port Aransas, Texas Next To Pat Magee Surf Shop MIXED DRINKS BEER & WINE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT FRL, SAT. & SUN. 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Compound interest is prohibited by law. timony for 12 hours at a time. “People who say, ‘we’re not being heard in Austin, aren’t trying very hard.” Roop said he would have never thought.about entering politics, but now he might consider it. “This internship has given me a chance to meet people like the gov ernor and lieutenant governor — people I might never have gotten to meet,” he said. Roop said one politician he par ticularly likes is House Speaker Bill Clayton. v-viciy i w 11. “He‘s just a hard working country boy. ” “Tuesday night is called ‘speaker’s night’ at the Broken Spoke (a co® try and western club in I Roop said. “Mr. Clayton is tl® every week. He loves to leg.” When the legislative session] over in May, Roop will come Texas A&M to complete work on Ij master’s degree. Nautilus, 1st atomic sub, being retired from Navy United Press International GROTON, Conn. — The USS Nautilus ended its fabled 25-year career as the world’s first atomic submarine Monday, sailing out of its home port for the last time as a commissioned Navy vessel. The Nautilus, which far surpassed the science-fiction adventures of the deep sea craft for which it was named, wasn’t showing the flag when it steamed from the U.S. Navy submarine base at 2:02 p.m. — just two minutes behind schedufe. marine Memorial Association is try ing to have the Nautilus declared a national monument and be berthed in Groton permanently. The group has gotten the support of state and local officials. The 3,200-ton Nautilus, named after the fictional submarine in Jules Verne’s 19th-century clast “20,000 Leagues Under the S® was the first to cross the ArcticS under the polar ice cap. She was launched from the El trie Boat shipyard in Groton Jan 1952. CIA report shows increased terrorism The Nautilus headed for Mare Is land Naval Station near San Fran cisco, where it will be decommis sioned after its arrival in late May. The Nautilus has been used as a training and test ship since it last took part in 6th Fleet exercises in the Mediteranean Sea two years ago. “She’s ready to retire,” said Chief Machinist’s Mate William Ever- mon, a three-year crew member re sponsible for maintaining much of the ship’s equipment, before the Nautilus departed. “She’s ancient and it’s a 24- hour-a-day job just to keep her run ning,” he said. The private Groton-based Sub- United Press International WASHINGTON — The CIA reported Tuesday that internatioml terrorism increased last year, especially against Americans living® Iran. “Officials and businessmen — especially individuals whoaresym hols of Western power and wealth — are still the primary targets," the report said. 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