Lame-Duck Texas Rep. Gets Down to Work Without DeLay

Shelley Sekula-Gibbs practices being sworn in by House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Serving the few weeks left in Tom DeLay's term, she promises to "get as much done as possible." (By Chris Greenberg -- Associated Press)

What does she think of her accommodations?

She looked around. The dull beige walls were nearly bare. The only pictures were stored on the floor of a closet.

"These are splendid accommodations," she said, smiling. "All we need are the bare essentials to get things done."

She won't be doing any redecorating, she added. And she'll scrape by with a small staff -- a few DeLay holdovers, plus a couple of ex-campaign workers. Meanwhile, she'll spend her tenure living in a hotel. "I have no plans to have a permanent residence here," she said.

But this was no time for idle chitchat. Sekula-Gibbs had to hustle over to the Capitol.

There, after being sworn in, she addressed her distinguished colleagues: "I look forward to getting to know each of you and working on the initiatives that will help strengthen our country."

Getting to know all 434 of them? That's a lot to do in a few weeks.

In the next hour, Sekula-Gibbs cast three votes. The first was on a bill to "suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment" to something called the Trail of Tears Study Act. She stuck her brand-new voting card into a machine and voted yes. Then she looked up at the big screen behind the House speaker's desk and saw a little green light appear next to her name.

It was a courageous vote for Sekula-Gibbbs. If she ever runs for office again, that vote could inspire a vicious attack ad. It's not hard to imagine it: The worst photo ever taken of Sekula-Gibbs appears on the TV screen and an ominous voice says, " She voted to suspend the rules of Congress . . . "

When the voting ended, Sekula-Gibbs rose to make the first official motion of her congressional career: "Mr. Speaker," she said, "I move that the House now adjourn."

The motion carried, and she stepped out into the Speaker's Lobby, where reporters were poised to ask her how it felt.

"It was very exciting," she said.