By Lynna La
Ever since Laphonza Butler took herself out of the running for U.S. Senate a year ago — just two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom picked her to replace the late Dianne Feinstein — she has faded into the background quite a bit.
Thursday, to mark one year since the Democrat took the oath of office, her office sent a clear message that she’s busy representing California — and will be until whoever voters pick in November is sworn in to serve until January, and then a full six-year term after that.
- Butler, in a statement to CalMatters: “I’m proud to represent one of the most racially and ethnically diverse states in America, with a population of young people who have shown up to be the face of change. Their courage, their passion, their drive to lead have fueled me every single day in the Senate…”
In a series of social media posts, Butler’s office gave some facts and figures on what she’s been up to — 342 votes and much more:
- Bills, bills, bills: Introduced 19 bills, including to extend funding for research on maternal health and develop a pilot program to address children’s behavioral health needs; and co-sponsored 235 more, including to strengthen protections for abortions, voting rights and access to fertility treatments.
- Meetings, meetings, meetings: 70 meetings of four Senate committees, plus 30 “markup” sessions to debate bill amendments — further evidence that government jobs can be just as unglamorous as regular jobs.
- Responding to constituents: 1.2 million pieces of mail and more than 2,000 casework requests for help with federal agencies.
- Wrestling with AI: A bill to direct federal agencies to study the effects of artificial intelligence on the job market, plus hosting events about AI’s potential economic impact within Black communities. “Hopefully … we’ll be able to catch the full opportunity that is the deployment of artificial intelligence,” Butler told The Verge recently.
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