BY CHELYEN DAVIS

RICHMOND—As state legislators dealt with about 2,000 bills and resolutions in their first month of the session, the people most drained by the frantic pace were probably the freshmen.
Sure, they ran for their seats. They wanted to be state legislators. They asked for this.

But now they’re mostly living in hotels and temporary apartments, working 12-plus-hour days, far from home and families, trying to understand dozens of issues and a myriad of procedures and rules and the ways in which tiny changes to a bill—like using the word “shall” instead of “may”—can make a huge difference. Those requirements wear on even senior lawmakers.
Several Fredericksburg-area freshmen say it has been both exhausting and exhilarating.

“You live in a bubble. It is truly a sacrifice to be away from home, family, kids,” said Sen. Bryce Reeves, R–Spotsylvania, who won the 17th District seat in November. “It’s like being in a tornado.”
At the same time, Reeves was one who called the session “exhilarating.”
“It’s tiring, it’s exhilarating, it’s quite frankly an amazing process,” he said. “It’s really humbling to be here. It’s awe-inspiring to think, even in the grind I sit there and say wow.”

Reeves sits on four committees, which makes for  a strenuous schedule. He’s living in an apartment in downtown Richmond, getting home to see his wife and kids on the weekends. It can be hard to keep in touch with the rest of the world, he said, when your day starts before 7 a.m. and from then until bedtime you’re dealing with legislation, dining with other legislators or lobbyists, and then reading bills.

“I live between the General Assembly Building and the Capitol, and you kind of lose touch with world events because of the amount of time you spend here,” he said.

‘NO SECOND THOUGHTS’
Del. Margaret Ransone, R–Westmoreland, won the 99th District seat in November.  Asked how her freshman session was going so far, Ransone’s first response was, “I’m excited for the homestretch and I miss my babies.”

But, she added, she’s enjoying the experience.

“I really feel good that I did this,” Ransone said. “No turning back, no second thoughts.”
She said she was warned beforehand about the frenetic pace of session.
“Everyone said it’s going to be busy, be prepared,” she said. “You have to be very scheduled with your time.”
Ransone’s husband and her two children, ages 10 and 6, come  to Richmond once a week, she said, and she goes home on weekends and when she can during the week.

She said she works long hours normally, so her kids are used to a busy schedule.

“They’re perfectly fine,” she said. “They know where all the candy dishes are on the eighth floor,” where her legislative office is located.
Ransone said she has dealt with the flurry of legislation  by focusing on bills coming through committees on which she sits. She reads all of them, she said, and then asks questions.

“If I’m not an expert, I find someone who is,” she said.
She also seeks feedback from business people, local officials and law enforcement officers in her district.
“That’s one reason I feel confident,” Ransone said.
A FLOOD OF BILLS
Del. Mark Dudenhefer, R–Stafford, holds a newly relocated seat—his 2nd House District used to be in Southwest Virginia but was moved to Stafford and Prince William counties in last year’s redistricting. Before winning the seat, he was a member of the Stafford Board of Supervisors.
Legislating, he has learned, is a lot different from local government.
“The number of bills is overwhelming,” Dudenhefer said.

He’s staying at a property he owns in Williamsburg during the session. He gets to Richmond before 7 every morning, he said, and is doing legislative business till 6 or 7 every night. Then he goes to various evening functions, and usually doesn’t get back to Williamsburg before 10:30 or 11 p.m.

It sounds exhausting, but Dudenhefer said the pace and hours remind him of his military background.

Like Ransone, he pays the most attention to bills that come before his committees, and bills that relate to his interests in land use, road safety and other issues.

On topics he knows little about, he said, “You have to depend on people who have knowledge in these areas.”
All three have had mixed success with their own legislation this session, with some bills passing and some failing in obscure subcommittees. Each separately said they’ve learned from the failures and have plans to approach certain issues in different ways next year.
Besides noting the fast pace, all three also said one thing about the legislature has surprised them: the camaraderie and helpfulness, even from lawmakers in the other party.

Ransone said legislators have come by her office, asked how she’s settling in and offered help.

They’ve been understanding of the fact that she’s new and still learning. “People kind of get demonized because they’re on one side of the aisle, but I find my colleagues to be fantastic,” Reeves said. “Everybody argues their points  [but] we’re all trying to get to the same place. We just have different viewpoints on how to get there.”
Chelyen Davis:  804/343-2245
cdavis@freelancestar.com