COLUMBIA, S.C. - House Minority Leader James Smith has started 11 weeks of military training at Fort Jackson and will miss the first week of the 2004 legislative session.

The 36-year-old Smith is a captain in the South Carolina Army National Guard, where he is part of the 218th Brigade's headquarters unit, based in Newberry.

"We're going to miss James and we look forward to him returning shortly after the session starts," Rep. John Scott, D-Columbia, said. Scott, the first vice chairman of the Democratic caucus, will fill in as minority leader until Smith returns.

Scott said House Democrats met in the summer and talked about their priorities for the coming session, which opens Jan. 13.

"We're all sort of pitching in and doing what we can to help out," said Rep. Joel Lourie, a Columbia Democrat and one of Smith's closest friends. "We'll be organized, and we'll be ready to go when things kick in January."

So will the Republican leadership.

"We obviously will miss James for those two weeks, but we'll continue to conduct business in a normal routine," House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville, said.

Because bills already are slated for debate when the Legislature returns in January, the House will spend more time early in the session on the floor rather than in committee.

"We'll have bills ready to go," Wilkins said.

With elections for the House's 124 seats and the Senate's 46 members coming in a year, the upcoming session is important for Democrats as they try to regain seats lost during the past decade.

The GOP holds 73 seats in the House to 51 held by Democrats. The party lost control of the Senate nearly three years ago, giving Republicans control of the Statehouse for the first time since Reconstruction. With one vacant seat, Senate Republicans hold a 26-19 majority over Democrats.

Information from: The State