The 2023 House and Senate elections were the first run under new maps drawn after the most recent census. That led to plenty of turnover in both chambers with freshmen legislators making up about 40 percent of the body.
And with about five weeks of legislating under their belt, the capital's newest members are reporting on lessons they've learned so far.
Among them is Richmond-area Delegate Mike Jones. Previously a member of Richmond City council, Jones said his biggest take away so far is ‘do your research.’
“I’m lining up a ton of policy folk to talk to after the session to see what I don’t see, to uncover what I don’t know,” Jones told Radio IQ.
Over in the other chamber, Northern Virginia Senator Saddam Salim said he didn’t realize how different campaigning and legislating would be.
“I put in a lot of bills, by the time I went through all the amendments, negotiations, the bills looked completely different,” Salim said.
And he's already learned how to explain that process to his constituents when he goes home.
“At the end of this, when a bill gets to a study or a point where we’re going to lose it, it’s not the end," he said. "We’re gonna come back with more data, a lot stronger than this bill.”
Lynchburg-area Senator Mark Peake, a more senior member in his 7th session, said the workload may have been a wakeup call for some new members.
“They come in and the bills hit so fast, you’ve got so many to look through, and then the committee," he told Radio IQ. "I think it's keeping up with the volume and the amount of material they need to read.”
Still, he’s been impressed and pleased with the work from those who’ve joined him at the capital.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
