Today is Organization Day for the General Assembly. It may set the stage for chaos to come, but let’s hope not.

For the first time since we adjourned June 30, the General Assembly will convene today. It will be a preview of the upcoming session, which starts Jan. 5.

Organization Day is the third Tuesday after the first Monday of November. What happens on Organization Day varies between even- and odd-numbered years.

In even-numbered years, all 100 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election, along with 25 of the 50 seats in the Senate. In those years, Organization Day comes just days after the general election, and there is a lot of organizing to do.

In both chambers the newly elected members are sworn in by the chief justice — or, if he is unavailable, an associate justice — of the state Supreme Court.

In the House, the secretary of state presides until the members elect a speaker, who sets the agenda for the House. As president of the Senate, the lieutenant governor presides until the members elect a president pro tempore, who presides in her absence and sets the Senate’s agenda.

In odd-numbered years — such as this year — there is less ceremony. There will be speeches, but no swearing-in or election of officers. We did that last year. The majority and minority leadership in each chamber will no doubt take the opportunity to stake out positions for the upcoming session.

The session that starts in January will be a “short session,” so called because it must, by law, adjourn by March 14. In odd-numbered years, there is a “long session,” which must adjourn by April 29. The primary purpose of the long session is the crafting of the state’s two-year budget. This year, we didn't get the job done by April 29, so the governor called us back for a special session. We passed a budget and adjourned June 30.

The General Assembly established Organization Day and annual sessions in 1971. Prior to 1972, the General Assembly met only in odd-numbered years.

Regardless of whether it’s an even- or odd-numbered year, Organization Day is largely ceremonial and allows both the House and Senate to take care of housekeeping and prepare for the session.

Organization Day marks the start of business for both chambers — technically the first day of the 2010 session — and gives members an opportunity to come together and get the ceremonial stuff out of the way so they can hit the ground running in January. At least that’s the idea. This year was my first session, and we didn’t exactly hit the ground running in January. Maybe the short session will be different. It is rumored that the speaker is planning a very short session, with the goal of kissing us goodbye by Valentine’s Day. We’ll see. I’m more concerned about the substance of the session than its length. We need to use our time — however long or short it may be — for the betterment of Hoosiers.

Organization Day is also the first day that legislation can be filed in the House. We have from today until early January to file up to five bills per House member. If you would like to discuss ideas for legislation, please contact me as soon as possible.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been in office for a year already. It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your representative, and I am grateful every day for the opportunity. I was elected to the legislature at one of the most difficult times our state and nation have faced, and it has been trial by fire at times. Still, I wouldn’t trade a moment of the past year.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming session and year. It will be an election year, and I will be running for re-election. I am grateful to The Tribune for giving me the opportunity to write this column every week. I’m pleased to share that The Tribune Editorial Board has agreed to continue to publish my column throughout next year, without interruption for the election.

Don't look for information about my race — or any other — in my column. I will not use it for campaign communication. I look forward to a campaign based on ideas, issues and substance, and there will be plenty of other opportunities — in The Tribune and elsewhere — to discuss my campaign. This column is my chance to communicate about what's going on in state government, and I appreciate all the feedback I receive.

I won’t avoid all discussion of politics in my column. State government is political, and the upcoming session and year promise to be extraordinarily political. I'll continue to let you know what’s going on and how it affects you. I always try to be objective, but, of course, I write from my perspective, and I look forward to hearing from folks on both sides of every issue.

As always, I’ll try to help make sense of the chaos.