Meet ACCG's Spring Policy and Research Interns

Policy and research interns, Kaylon Day and Mathilde Carpet, assisted ACCG staff with special projects, bill analysis, research, committee meeting and floor action notes, surveys, and bill tracking during the 2021 legislative session.

 

During the past three months, counties received more than 150 email notifications on local legislation from Day and Carpet. The interns also assisted policy staff with the tracking of more than 125 "watch" bills, which are bills that have the potential to impact county government if amended. Carpet additionally played a key role in both tracking and summarizing over 80 election bills. 

 

Carpet and Day also completed several special projects during their internships. Carpet created and designed a survey on county alcohol licenses with a response rate of over 95 percent. She is currently in the process of analyzing and preparing a report on the results. Carpet also researched and provided information on COVID-19 vaccinations and changes in federal regulations and updated hazardous and solid waste data. Day assisted with the collection of special election results from the March 16, 2021 election, updated county board and authority appointments, and researched 2020 census data distribution changes and American Rescue Plan Act information.

 

In addition to their legislative and general research duties, Carpet and Day both learned how to research Georgia law. They put this skill to use by verifying and updating a list of code sections that refers to or uses census data. Carpet also learned how to use Municode and searched county ordinances for vehicle booting requirements.

 

Although Carpet and Day completed their internships remotely, both were afforded the opportunity to meet virtually with policy staff, county consulting staff, and Executive Director Dave Wills. Additionally, the interns attended ACCG Policy Council meetings, Legislative Updates, county lobbyist meetings, and research staff meetings on a weekly basis.

 

 

Kaylon Day returned after completing a fall internship with ACCG. Day is finishing her senior year at Valdosta State University majoring in political science with a minor in geosciences. She was recently accepted into the MPA program at the University of Georgia. After completing her internship with ACCG, she will have experience in all three level of government- county, state and federal. Day interned for the Senate State and Local Government Operations Committee during the 2020 legislative session and spent her summer in Washington, D.C. working as a congressional legislative intern for Congressman Austin Scott. These experiences have fostered her interest in state and local government relations. During her free time, she enjoys attending concerts, traveling, Indian food, watching movies, and spending quality time with her two rowdy cats and her boyfriend. 

 

 

Mathilde Carpet is completing her final semester of the MPA program at the University of Georgia, following an undergraduate degree in International Affairs. She has a focus on public policy and policy analysis, which stems from a desire to go into public service in a way that combines advocacy with grounded analysis. Carpet is particularly interested in the intersection between fiscal policy and economic inequality. She has been working in Georgia politics and policy since spring of 2017, and has not stopped since, working on campaigns and for a state representative, and staying involved in the Athens advocacy environment.  In her free time, Mathilde enjoys (re)watching New Girl and Grey’s Anatomy, as well as reading any and everything. In other circumstances, she had been saving up for a post-graduation trip to Europe, as she loves to travel. She has redirected her interests to a trip out west to Colorado and Utah.