An April 14 MarylandReporter.com article examined the expectations and reactions of the substantial number of first-year Delegates on the 2015 Session and the experience of being in the House of Delegates. Here are few quotes from the article:

On the start of Session:

“We hit the ground running this session,” said Del. Clarence Lam, D-Baltimore and Howard. “Having been sworn in January 14th and then getting right to having bills drafted, it’s been a busy session.”

On the Committee system:

“Most of the work that gets done is going to get done in committee and subcommittee, not necessarily the House floor,” said Del. Terri Hill, D-Baltimore and Howard. …

“You become a subject matter expert very quickly,” said Del. Andrew Platt, D-Montgomery and member of the Ways and Means Committee. …

Del. Sid Saab, R-Anne Arundel, was disappointed by [some bills being drawered in committee]. He said it was a “disregard of people’s time and passion when they advocate for a bill at a hearing, then the bill doesn’t even get a vote in committee.” …

Del. Chris West, R-Baltimore, found committee work to be “intensely rewarding” and the House floor to be “incredibly stultifying.”

“They could have installed 141 computers on the desks in the House programmed to vote green on every bill and red on every proposed amendment and gotten the exact same result; while saving all 141 of us the enormous waste of time of spending hours every day on the floor,” said West.

On Sine Die:

“I really enjoyed the pace [of Sine Die]. The people in my district don’t always have two or three years for decisions to be made, They’re hurting right now and they’re expecting their elected officials to produce right now,” said [Del. Cory McCray, D-Baltimore City].

On the end of Session:

“This session met my expectations in a lot of ways, it was fast paced, it was exciting, it was at times unpredictable, but also it was just a tremendous experience as a freshman,” said Del. Christian Miele, R-Baltimore County. …

Del. Marice Morales, D-Montgomery, believes most legislators are very pleased with the compromises made this session, especially in the budget. …

“We repealed the rain tax, cut taxes, and made record investments in education all at the same time,” said Del. Haven Shoemaker, R-Carroll. “We didn’t get everything we wanted but if you put things in perspective, it’s pretty clear that the 2015 legislative session was a success for Maryland.” …

The article also stated that the freshmen will continue to make their presence known in the 2016 Session.