Freshman legislators find way at Capitol

ATLANTA -- If there's one thing that's bipartisan at the Capi¤tol, freshman Sen. Jeff Chapman has found, it's the willingness to lend a hand to one of the new faces under the Gold Dome.

"The senior people have been more than willing to help ñ any of them, Democrat or Republican," said Mr. Chapman, R-Brunswick, who said one of the hardest parts of his new job has been finding the rooms where various committees meet to consider legislation.

As they settle down to their lawmaking responsibilities, the rookies say everything's going well and they think they're beginning

to get the hang of it, though some said they're still getting used to the way business is done in the Capitol.

"I'm still absorbing a lot of stuff, you know, procedures (and) protocol," Mr. Chapman said. "But it's an exciting responsibility. I'm sensing the pace is beginning to pick up."

Mr. Chapman and others have been working to set up their offices and struggling with computer problems that have bedeviled the Legislature's computer system.

"I am playing a little catch-up on e-mails and phone calls," he said.

One challenge, first-time Rep. Buddy Carter said, is keeping up with all the issues working their way through the General Assembly

"At times it can be overwhelming, and you always want to do the very best that you can," said Mr. Carter, R-Pooler.

The compressed schedule of a 40-day session adds to the difficulty, Mr. Carter said, because it makes learning quickly a necessity for the former mayor.

"It was tough then, but this is a different kind of tough," he said. "At least when you were mayor... you were in session all year long."

On Thursday, he finished voting on limits to medical-malpractice lawsuits, a measure supporters call "tort reform." Mr. Carter said the balancing act between the rights of patients and the conditions faced by doctors made the issue his toughest vote yet.

"With tort reform, it was ëwelcome to the big leagues,'\\u2009" he said.

Sen. J.B. Powell, D-Augusta, said a tough part of the job has been in ferreting out the difference between good and bad bills.

"There's a line there. Every¤body has a valid point, and I've learned that debate is very valuable up here," he said.