Democrats officially take control of the House on Thursday, and to say they have got a lot on their plate is a serious understatement. 

First and foremost, there is the partial government shutdown, which pretty much needs to get resolved in order for anything else to move. 

But there is also the official speaker vote, and the new rules package, which is already being criticized by some of the more progressive members of the Democratic conference.

And of course new members also need to get settled into their new jobs, doing things like hiring staff and getting to know one another. 

One of the New York members of the freshman class is former Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, who flipped the 22nd Ddistrict, which includes Utica and Binghamton, into Democrat hands by defeating Republican Claudia Tenney last fall.