The first full day as a new member of the Colorado General Assembly left many humbled, excited and at least a few with butterflies in their stomachs.

The Senate has four new members that have never served in the Legislature among its 10 new senators. Four members of the House were elected to Senate seats, and two more are returning to the Capitol after serving in the past.

The House has 20 new members, although two also are returning after past terms.

Many said they enjoyed the “pomp and ceremony” of the opening day, and getting to know their colleagues on both sides of the aisle. That included Reps. Paul Lundeen, R-Monument and Kit Roupe, R-Colorado Springs. Roupe added that she liked the speeches given by the House Majority and Minority leaders, and was pleased that they talked in the same way about some of the issues. The frequent recesses were something of a surprise, she noted.

The honor of serving their constituents and the state also made an impression on some of the new legislators. “I’m honored to be in this great setting,” said Rep. Yeulin Willett, R-Grand Junction. But Willett also joked that the new job is akin to “giving an Amazonian tribe the rules of the NFL, letting them read them and have their own game.”

Rep. Jesse Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, reflected on the honor of serving as a member of the General Assembly, calling it “wonderful,” and saying that she looks forward to working hard for the people of House District 24.

Three legislators who were elected to the Senate after serving in the House mused about what it means to be in the 35-member Senate. Sen. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, was part of the three-member delegation that visited the House to notify them that the Senate was ready to work. As a former member of the House, he visited the Senate only a few times. Garcia said he now sees the House from the perspective of the “tight-knit” and much smaller Senate.

Will relationship-building be different in the Senate? Garcia says no. He likened it to his six years in the Marines, where the task at hand is always about accomplishing the mission. “My colleagues have good intentions and are passionate about the work they want to do. It will be interesting to see how that translates through the session,” he told The Colorado Statesman.

Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, said it is humbling to be a legislator. “You kind of forget that” after several years, he said. Wednesday was a special day for the Sonnenberg family; his wife, in-laws, parents, two of his four children and a granddaughter all attended his swearing-in.

It’s humbling to be “in a new chamber, one of 35 in the whole state who has a voice to make decisions and guide the state,” Sonnenberg said.

Sen. Mike Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, said it is good to be back at the Capitol after a four-year hiatus. He said he will have to get used to running back and forth between his office at 1525 Sherman and the capitol, but calls it a different kind of challenge. He plans to work on education bills, focusing on pushing back on testing, data collection and the “frantic push for test scores.”

“I LOVE the word ‘majority’,” said Sen. Ray Scott, R-Grand Junction.

Alec Garnett, D-Denver, said his first day was a “whirlwind of emotion. I’m deeply honored to take on this responsibility of House District 2,” Garnett said. The enormity of the responsibility set in while he was sitting at his desk during the day. “It’s a mix of excitement and nerves,” which he says comes from the responsibility and how quickly everything will start moving. Garnett said he plans to get his routine in place so he can cover as much ground as possible. “I’ve never been down this path and the unknown is a little nerve-wracking, but I’ll figure it out,” he said.

Rep. Faith Winter, D-Westminster, also referred to the whirlwind of the work at hand. “You’re still trying to finalize bills and talk to coalitions… decide which bills to co-sponsor and to get your own co-sponsors,” she explained. “I knew bills were due early,” having been a lobbyist before, “but when you’re actually doing it, it is so early! Today I got sworn in, but I’ve been working for the past six weeks to get my bills in and finalized!”

What’s made it enjoyable is the variety of people she’s met, from the campaign trail to the House chamber, including constituents, members of organizations and coalitions, and the other House members and their families. “It’s a fantastic snapshot of who lives in Colorado,” she said.

For Rep. Jeni James Arndt, D-Fort Collins, opening day gave her a strong sense of patriotism. Arndt said she was at the Capitol two years ago to watch her predecessor, Rep. Randy Fischer, D-Fort Collins, sworn in, so she knew how the process worked.

But it was different when it was her turn. “It’s very emotional and patriotic… it makes you proud to be a Coloradan and an American,” she said. “Now that it’s my turn to represent the district, it imbues a large sense of responsibility and honor.”

There’s all the campaigning, winning the seat and then the training. And then, “all of a sudden, there you are, standing there [in the House]. I had one second when they were singing ‘America the Beautiful,’ and I thought, ‘it’s me who’s standing here!’ That was a [wow] moment. You grow up in Colorado and go to the Capitol but never think it’s going to be you.”

— Marianne@coloradostatesman.com