Incoming lawmaker feeling a bit overwhelmed

While he says no freshman hazing has taken place, a soon-to-be House member is equating orientation in Congress to “drinking out of the fire hose.”

Rep.-elect Derek Kilmer gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse to radio station KIRO-FM of the House 101 course that’s going on this week on Capitol Hill.

The Washington state Democrat, who won the seat of retiring Rep. Norm Dicks (D), reveals so far, he has been given a rundown of the basics.

“A lot of it is somewhat intuitive, particularly some of the ethics rules. Your normal, ethical person would say, ‘Yeah, no kidding,’ ” says Kilmer.

The 38-year-old dad of two says he already has his D.C. digs picked out: he’ll be sharing an apartment with fellow Washington Democrat and congressman-elect Dennis Heck. “It’s only the two of us, not 25,” Kilmer says. “It’s no great shakes. I wouldn’t want to spend my life there, but it’ll do.”

Kilmer tells the “Ross and Burbank” show that despite the lack of icebreaker games to get all the new members chummy with one another, he’s spending an ample amount of time with other first-time lawmakers. “We had a tour of the Capitol that was very neat, and [I] joined my fellow freshmen and kind of walked onto the floor of the House together ... there’s an opportunity for a fair amount of interaction in that regard.”

The congressman-elect says his orientation guides gave him a breakdown of what the average day looks like; it typically includes 12 or more hours on the job. But Kilmer says he’s ready to bring it, exclaiming, “I’m used to working hard, and I didn’t seek this job to take it easy.”

---