Having a full-time job and kids in school is a balancing act for any mom, but it’s even harder when one of your jobs requires you to be in Richmond making laws for the whole state during the week.
One WS mom, Eileen Filler-Corn, knows just how stressful this can be first hand; she both works for a government relations firm and is a third-term delegate for the Virginia House of Delegates.
“It’s hard because she lives in Richmond during weekdays, but she tries to come home on the weekends. She’s one of the only [delegates] with school-aged children,” said senior Alana Corn, whose mother Eileen Filler-Corn represents Virginia’s 41st district in the Virginia House of Delegates.
“Once a year she goes down to Richmond for session to vote and introduce bills,” said Corn. From January to March delegates from across the state meet in Richmond to decide which bills will be made into laws.
As a mother of a teenager, Delegate Corn looks out for her young constituents’ best interests first. Last year she was the co-patron of an anti-bullying bill and also passed a resolution last year that commended WS’s award winning one-act play “The Other Room.”
Some of the bills that Delegate Corn is especially excited about this year include a bill that would let parents freeze the credit of their children age 16 or younger in cases of identity theft and another that would implement stricter guidelines that would help student athletes that have sports related injuries transition back into full school days.
“When she’s not voting yay or nay on bills she meets with her committee” said Corn. As a member of the House of Transportation Committee, House Finance Committee and the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee, Delegate Corn is a very busy lady. Even though most bills do not end up getting passed they all must be heard, voted on, and later revised, making the job very busy.
“When she’s not in Richmond she talks to constituents” said Corn. It is important for her to keep current on what the people she represents care about so that when she votes she has the people’s interests in mind.
“I know when she’s there it’s hard for her to balance out her job here, but it’s important” said Corn.