While the opening day is usually a sort of homecoming after a long interim, and filled with anticipation and excitement, Speaker Chopp will take a moment to remember those recent members of the House whom we lost this year, including the beloved Bill Grant.
Chopp will also lay out a clear vision for the 2009 session, and emphasize his hope that bold ideas can still spring from even hard economic times; indeed, that's when they are needed most.
Here's a small quote from the Speaker's speech to tide you over until then:
"We have to be very careful this year not to let a budget problem rob us of our vision and values.
As Thoreau said: 'In the long run, men hit only what they aim at.'
"We can choose to react to this economic downturn by shrinking our hopes for our state, or we can keep our eyes on the horizon and direct our attention and resources to what is truly important."
We’ll be providing commentary and pics throughout the day here and via our twitter feed at twitter.com/hdccomm. So check back early and often.
