Rep. Brad Wilson

Last year, I wrote a series of three articles chronicling my experience as a freshman legislator in the Utah State House of Representatives. This year, I have been asked to continue writing about my legislative experiences as I enter my second legislative session. Like many of life's transitions, I am beginning my sophomore year in the Legislature feeling more prepared for the session and better equipped to tackle the important issues the legislature will face.

The nearest thing I can think to compare Week One 2011 to Week One 2012 is to recall what it was like to be a college freshman vs. a college sophomore. A whole host of new and challenging experiences are presented to a college freshman: learning the campus, new classmates, professors, roommates, and expanded and more difficult curriculum just to name a few. Many of those elements apply to freshman legislators too.

When I made the decision to run for the Legislature, I had certain preconceived notions about the various groups I would find myself interacting with at the capitol. Some of these perceptions were derived from the media and some were based on my assumptions about how the political process worked. Now that I have four weeks under my belt, I have found that not all of those preconceived notions are correct.

I knew I would be spending a lot of time with my fellow legislators, particularly those serving with me in the House. Some I had the chance to get to know in settings outside the Legislature, others I met during the campaign, and some I met for the first time on opening day. There would be some, I knew, whom I would disagree with philosophically or politically.