BOISE - About 15 minutes before noon each day, the Idaho Legislature breaks into chaos.

Once the gavels slam, state lawmakers emerge from their respective chambers - and into a sea of suits, ties and dresses. Legislators, lobbyists and state officials merge together into a confine not much larger than a baseball dugout. Names are called out. Sleeves are tugged on. Soon, the mass filters down the stairs, chattering into a lull.

The next day, the cycle repeats itself.

Two weeks into the 2008 Idaho Legislature, the most talked-about topic isn't transportation, education or even the behavior of the House leadership - it's the cramped, crowded Capitol Annex. The old Ada County Courthouse will house the Legislature for at least two years, as the Capitol, located across the street, is renovated.

"The most repeated phrase in the building is 'excuse me, excuse me,'" said House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke, R-Oakley.

Just about everyone who works there - from secretaries to reporters - is adjusting, for better or worse.

Gone are the public galleries in both chambers. In the House of Representatives, a second level was built for 21 lawmakers. Televisions have been set up for lawmakers to watch debate.

Although the chamber isn't uncomfortable yet, it still feels like two chambers within one, said Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley. He said that once debates begin, everyone will notice a difference from last year.

"Sitting there, you could tell how legislation was going to go when someone got up to present it," said Wood. "You got an immediate sense of what's going to happen with legislation within the first minute or two."

Room location has been the most frequent request at the information desk, and puzzled lawmakers admitted last week they got lost several times. The biggest complaints have been the smaller hallways and lack of personal space. Couches and benches are often taken during the day - the other option for a phone call is usually outside in the cold.

Bedke said his job hasn't been affected by the new digs but noted punctuality is more important this year. Attendance, as well as voting, will be done with laptops, and there is no large board to display votes.

"You have to be on time to get booted up," said Bedke, who's been late once. "You can't just run in and punch your 'present' button."

There's also no space for House and Senate committees to meet together; such meetings, including next week's iSTARS presentation, will be held elsewhere. There are so few bathrooms that eight temporary ones are set up outside under a heated tent.

For some lawmakers, the new building has created a stir - or lack thereof.

Senate Minority Leader Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, said he's noticed more difficulty working with the Republicans than in the past, even though it's not even February.

"It just seems to me we don't seem to come into the middle like we used to," he said.

Still, there are comfort zones. Most committees are in rooms larger than in the Capitol. In previous years, lawmakers met around a table not much larger than one for poker in rooms with a dozen chairs pressed up against a wall.

But this year, most rooms are spacious. One has enough space for a dozen senators to sit side-by-side behind tables and almost 40 chairs for the public. At a Senate Education Committee meeting Thursday, it was filled to the brim.

"It's actually not so bad in here," Idaho State Board of Education Spokesman Mark Browning whispered to a reporter.

Even reporters are feeling the pinch, as they are relegated to a 10-foot by 10-foot room - about the same amount of space for a single journalist in the Capitol's basement.

Late into evenings, with the building nearly empty, politicians shuffle by the room. Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, ends every night with the same quip: "I'm asserting my prescriptive easement rights," a reference not only to how the Legislature is legally required to make space for the press, but also how no one is exempt from feeling the space crunch.

Jared S. Hopkins may be reached at 631-793-5717 or jhopkins@magicvalley.com.