Newly-elected legislators are at the Statehouse today for an orientation session.

There are 48 true freshmen in the House (out of 151 seats) and two in the Senate (35 seats). Those numbers don't include people who've switched from one chamber to the other, or those who've sat out a while and come back.

Today, they are listening to a lecture titled "The Role of the Legislature in a Democracy," getting their pictures taken, learning about building security and getting a primer on the the basics of bill filing.

The new Legislature will be sworn-in Dec. 3. There are other training opportunities planned for that week, said David Boulter, executive director of the Legislative Council.

The number of incoming freshmen is consistent with the number we've seen in recent years, Boulter said.