In these closing days of the legislative session, lawmakers are pretty much debating bills from morning to evening. Most of the debate is forgettable. But there were a couple memorable exchanges today. As often is the case, they came when legislators tapped into their own personal experiences to make their arguments.

In the Assembly, Republican Keith Richman argued against a bill to require doctors to take cultural training as part of their continuing education. Richman, a physician, said the Legislature should not proscribe the curricula for such training. Doctors, he noted, will learn what they need to serve their patients. He made the point by arguing it in Spanish.

Richman's former San Fernando Valley medical clinic had offices in heavily Latino neighborhoods, which is why Richman -- without a mandate from the state -- learned sufficient Spanish to communicate with patients.

Over in the Senate, Democrat Ed Vincent invoked his personal experience to argue in support of a bill to legalize gay marriages. Vincent, who is African-American, noted that he met his wife, who is white, when he attended the University of Iowa in the 1950s. At the time, many states outlawed inter-racial marriages.

"They said it would never last," Vincent said. "Marilyn and I have been married for 50 years."