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New Legislators Learn the Ropes

Flickr Creative Commons/Matt Turner

New state legislators won't be able to cast votes until they're inaugurated in mid-January.  But 20 of them are spending this week at the capitol anyway, for new member orientation.

House Speaker Michael Madigan's spokesman Steve Brown says they'll learn how to file bills, to run a district office, and to conduct themselves on the House and Senate floor. 

"It's an interesting… 'cause now the campaign's over, now you've got to figure out… to do the hard work of trying to be part of the governing process."

Another dozen lawmakers who were appointed to fill vacancies but who just won election to their seats, are also considered new.  Training is conducted by the state's non-partisan Legislative Research Unit and the University of Illinois' Institute of Government and Public Affairs. 

Amanda Vinicky moved to Chicago Tonight on WTTW-TV PBS in 2017.