20 new Arizona House members meet at Capitol

AZ House floor.

PHOENIX -- Arizona's 20 newly-elected State House members met for two days recently at the Capitol in preparation for taking office January 12, 2009. Everyone got along pretty well.

I'm pleased to have landed a decent office and a strategically-located seat on the House floor.

New Representatives will make up 33% of the House, a powerful block if enough of us stick together on some issues. Certainly there will be some disagreements, but we'll need to cooperate in the legislature to solve Arizona's economic and budget problems.

OTHER COVERAGE: Arizona Capitol Times: 'Meeting the legislative council and other House staff was important, said District 29 Democrat Daniel Patterson of Tucson, because “you need to know the people and start building those relationships.”