THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 19, 1995 TAG: 9512190310
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
The state Senate held its first-ever orientation session to prepare nine new senators for their duties in the oldest continuous English-speaking legislative body in the New World.
For two days last week, incoming senators were briefed on resolutions, bills and filing dates. They were informed of their pay package, expense accounts and perks. They were told about the roles played by pages, analysts and the clerk's office, which organized the orientation.
``I was so overwhelmed my first session that I forgot to pay my bills,'' Sen. L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, told the newcomers. ``My water was disconnected. My phone was disconnected. I forgot my other life.
``You're overwhelmed coming in as a freshman,'' she said. ``But every year, you're overwhelmed. There's so much to learn.''
Lt. Gov. Donald S. Beyer, who is president of the Senate, guided the freshman class Wednesday through a three-hour mock session. Even without the intensity of the real thing, which includes a Senate evenly divided with 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans, it was still difficult for the senators-elect to keep up.
``When you vote, learn the cadence of what (Beyer) is saying as he calls to close the roll,'' warned Senate Clerk Susan Schaar. ``If you vote after I've closed the roll, it won't be recorded. You have to be careful. It's tricky.''
``How long do you keep the vote open?'' asked Democrat John S. Edwards of Roanoke.
``It's all part of the cadence,'' Schaar said.
``But at what point do you close the roll?'' persisted Edwards, who is a former federal prosecutor. ``Is it kind of like on your marks, get set, go?''
Schaar tried again to explain but then simply said, ``You'll learn.''
``When I got here six years ago, I was terrified,'' Beyer confessed. ``It was wonderful to know the first-day session was only about a minute long.''
Sen. Janet D. Howell, D-Reston, remembers her 1992 freshman year and its 2,000-plus pieces of legislation.
``I thought you were supposed to read all the bills. I was up every night 'til 2 or 3 in the morning,'' she said. ``I couldn't figure out why people were so chipper. Then I was told nobody reads bills.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
New Virginia Sens. Emily Couric, D-Charlottesville, and Marty
Williams, R-Hampton, attend an orientation session last week in
Richmond. Seven other new senators also were briefed on resolutions,
bills and filing dates, pay, expense accounts and perks, and the
roles played by pages, analysts and the clerk's office.
KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY by CNB