DaytonDailyNews.com

WASHINGTON — Hours before U.S. Rep. Steve Austria was sworn in on Tuesday, Jan. 6, the visitors started trickling in.

A job applicant. Two men from a pro-business organization. A man and a woman from the Christian Embassy, a group which sets up prayer meetings on Capitol Hill.

They entered an office that smelled faintly of new carpet and was filled with boxes waiting to be unpacked.

Austria may be the region's new congressman, but there will be little time to get settled before the work begins.

In the next few weeks, Austria, R-Beavercreek, will decide whether to support or oppose a massive economic stimulus bill proposed by President-elect Obama that some estimates put at $1 trillion. Austria said he wants to see the details of the plan before weighing in.

And even before that, there are other details for the former state senator, who cites his legislative experience as helping him prepare for the quick pace of Congress.

He still has to find out what committees he'll serve on, for example. But Tuesday, the priority was becoming a member of Congress.

Austria was sworn in with the rest of the 111th Congress at an early afternoon ceremony, then sworn in again at a ceremonial event in the late afternoon with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In between, there was a reception with supporters and his first substantive vote — he supported (unsuccessfully) House Minority Leader John Boehner for Speaker of the House.

Jean Austria, the new congressman's mother, said her son's accomplishment was one that would have made his late father proud.

"He will be an excellent congressman," she said.