Rep. Gloria Mendoza, R-Grandview, does the Pledge of Allegiance on the House floor during the first week of the 2025 legislative session. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero)
Before this year’s Washington state legislative session began, Sen. Deborah Krishnadasan was giving her husband a tour of her new workplace: the state Capitol building in Olympia.
After multiple failed attempts tapping her badge to access the Senate chambers, Krishnadasan, who was appointed to fill a vacant seat in December, realized she was accidentally trying to get into the governor’s office.
“We had to go up a floor,” jokes Krishnadasan, D-Gig Harbor, who replaced Democratic U.S. Rep. Emily Randall in the state Senate after Randall was elected to Congress last year.
Rep. Gloria Mendoza, R-Grandview, another new lawmaker, puts a positive spin on the times she’s gotten off track navigating the Capitol campus, saying it’s given her a chance to explore different buildings and introduce herself to people in elevators.
“You can call it lost, or you could say, ‘hey, this is an opportunity to meet one more person,’” Mendoza said.
This year, over 20 freshman state lawmakers arrived in Olympia, some elected and others appointed to fill vacancies.
They’re diving into a 105-day stretch of budget-writing and lawmaking. It’s a big year to be a rookie, with a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, major policy bills under consideration in areas like housing and education, and a new governor in the mix.
‘It’s just wild to me’
On Jan. 13, the session’s opening day, Rep. Osman Salahuddin, D-Redmond, started the morning with a cup of coffee and hotel waffles. He picked a purple tie to wear — a nod to the University of Washington, the college he attended.
Salahuddin had only six days between the time he was sworn in and the session’s start date. He was appointed to the House to replace Vandana Slatter, who moved to the Senate.
On the session’s third day, he was among those who escorted Gov. Bob Ferguson into the House chamber ahead of Ferguson’s swearing-in. Like Ferguson, Salahuddin served as president of the Associated Students of the University of Washington during his college years.
As the student association’s president, Salahuddin testified on education-related bills in front of lawmakers like Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle.
“Now I’m like sitting next to him in committee,” Salahuddin said. “It’s just wild to me.”
In her first week, Mendoza went on TVW, the state’s public affairs television network, to share Republican priorities for the 2025 session in both English and Spanish. She also stood alongside Republican leadership to respond to Ferguson’s inaugural address.
“I was honored that I was considered, I wasn’t expecting that,” she said.
Rep. Deb Manjarrez, R-Wapato, was assigned to a seat near the back of the House chamber but was happy with her placement because she ended up sitting next to her mentor, Rep. Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy.
“I feel like I’m in college to some degree,” said Manjarrez, describing her first week of session.
Her district seatmate, Mendoza was assigned a seat up front. “I’ve always been that person that goes and sits at the front,” she said. “They might have noticed it during orientation, so they probably thought this gal always likes to sit in the front, let’s place her there.”
Whirlwind atmosphere
To prepare them for the session, lawmakers get a crash course where they go through mock floor proceedings and learn ethics, rules, and protocol.
“They provided us with a great deal of orientation,” Manjarrez said.
Still, the pace of the session can come as a shock.
Despite working busy jobs in the past, Krishnadasan says this is the first time she’s had a role where every minute counts.
“If I sit down and I have 30 seconds, I actually think, ‘what can I get done in 30 seconds?’” Krishnadasan said. “I’ve never had that mindset before.”
Salahuddin describes it as a whirlwind.
“Everything was happening all at once while I was trying to draft some bills, co-sponsor legislation,” he said of his first days, adding that he began the session without a legislative assistant.
There’s also fashion etiquette to follow.
As a former farmworker, Mendoza used to wear jeans, which are prohibited on the House floor, and long-sleeve shirts. When her career pivoted from the fields to an office, she took her fashion choices seriously and appreciates Olympia’s formal dress code.
“I think that fashion prepares you,” Mendoza said, “to be ready to do your job.”
Last week also saw the return of the Governor’s Inaugural Ball, which transformed Olympia’s business formal landscape to glitz and glam. New lawmakers went from frazzled to dazzled, shifting from the workday to a big night out.
“I was working with my wonderful communications person at 5:30 p.m. on the wording of a press release while thinking about getting into my ball gown,” Krishnadasan said.
Office decor is another consideration.
Salahuddin plans to hang memorabilia and artwork in his office that reflects his district, his South Asian roots, and the University of Washington.
“When I came in 2018, I remember I had a picture with now former Governor Jay Inslee and when I stepped out after escorting Governor Ferguson, I got a picture with him,” he said, adding he plans on displaying those photos in his office
Manjarrez put pictures of her family on her office windowsill, right next to her desk, to help her feel less homesick. Wapato is a three-plus hour drive from Olympia.
Krishnadasan plans to write down two to three things each day she’s looking forward to or lessons she’s learned in a paper calendar gifted by her daughter.
“At the end of the session, I’m going to have this great collection of things that I thought about or experienced,” Krishnadasan said.
This post was originally authored and published by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero from Washington State Standard via RSS Feed. Join today to get your news feed on Nationwide Report®.
