New Kids On The Hill
A week after the political triumphs of their lives, some 50 freshman members of Congress are starting to learn the ins and outs of life on Capitol Hill.
"Goose bumps appear on all the parts of your body," said Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., as the future lawmakers filed Tuesday into a palatial House office hallway to begin a week of orientation covering how to set up an office, hire staff, keep their families intact and avoid ethical problems.
"I'm not sure I understand the gravity yet," said Davis, a former state senator.
The freshman class for the new Congress to begin in January, swelled by post-census redistricting that created many new seats, includes at least 18 Democrats and 32 Republicans. Four races are still undecided, with Republicans assured of a total of at least 228 seats, 10 more than needed to control the House.
Many of the new members arrived Monday, to be greeted at the airport by a Marine Corps contingent and given tools of the trade: a cell phone, a lap top and a Blackberry two-way pager.
President Bush greeted the freshmen at a White House reception Tuesday, talking about the importance of being in Congress during a time of war, a White House official said.
In short order they will have to start hiring for district and Washington offices, with annual budgets that average around $1 million. There will be "heart palpitations from the big task laying before you with very little time to do it," said Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Administration Committee. He and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., are heading the freshman orientation.
Ney said this year's classes will put more emphasis of security issues in light of Sept. 11 and the anthrax scare on Capitol Hill and will include round-table discussions with spouses on family life in an age when many House members live alone in Washington, visiting their families back home on weekends.
The chairman and top Democrat on the ethics committee will brief the freshmen on "everything they need to know or be scared about" in terms of staying within the House's complex ethics rules, Ney said.
What they also must quickly become accustomed to is working out of the most cramped and inconvenient offices and failing to get seats on the sought-after Transportation, Appropriations or Ways and Means committees. "I have no illusions that a freshman from Utah can make a difference" immediately, said Republican Rob Bishop.
Rahm Emanuel, a senior adviser to President Clinton who was elected to a Chicago-area seat, said he "felt like a kid in a candy store, it's very exciting." He also said he was ready for life as a freshman in the minority party. "I have children aged five, four and two. I've learned about frustration first hand."
Among other notables in the freshman class are Republican Katherine Harris, the former Florida secretary of state who was a central figure in the contested 2000 presidential election.
Two freshmen are joining siblings already in Congress. California Democrats Linda Sanchez, and Loretta Sanchez, who was re-elected to a fourth term, will become the first sister combination in history, while newcomer Mario Diaz-Balart will represent Florida along with his fellow Republican brother Lincoln, who is entering his sixth term.
Also in Florida, Democrat Kendrick Meek takes over the seat held for 10 years by his mother, Carrie Meek.
Timothy Ryan, D-Ohio, and Devin Nunes, R-Calif., are the youngest freshmen at age 29, while current South Dakota Gov. William Janklow, a Republican, is the oldest at 63. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., has the most children, 12.
Orientation for the Senate's 10 new members is scheduled for December, and should require a lot less instruction.
Of the 10, four served in the House, two - Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. - are former Cabinet secretaries, Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., is returning for a second stint as senator and Mark Pryor, D-Ark., is the son of former Sen. David Pryor. Only two, Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, will be new to the Washington experience.
By Jim Abrams By Jim Abrams