Flood of Fresh Faces Fills New Congress : Lawmakers: A diverse group is sworn in on Capitol Hill, with more women, more minorities. Five Democratic delegates get expanded voting rights.

The largest and most diverse class of freshman lawmakers since World War II took the oath of office Tuesday as the 103rd Congress convened amid pomp and ceremony and pledges by Democrats and Republicans to end 12 years of government gridlock.

The festive mood quickly struck a sour note, however, when the House plunged into its first substantive debate of the year over rival Democratic and Republican proposals for changes in the rules governing the way members work.

Democrats rallied their members to turn aside a demand by the Republican minority to limit the terms of committee chairmen to six years, while Republicans bitterly, but unsuccessfully, protested a Democratic proposal to expand the voting rights of five delegates representing the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the territories of Guam, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands.

“What a dismal way to begin the Clinton Administration!” moaned Republican Rep. Henry J. Hyde of Illinois, who argued that the Democratic proposal was unconstitutional. “This is intolerable, and we shall not tolerate it,” added Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, a freshman Republican from Maryland, quickly throwing himself into the spirit of partisan debate.

The rules change allowing the five delegates--all of whom are Democrats--to vote for amendments on the House floor was later adopted, 249 to 176, on a party-line vote.

The rules squabble did little to dim the mostly festive spirit of the day, however.

A mood of cheerful chaos filled the House as 110 newly elected members of Congress took the oath of office in a mass swearing-in ceremony administered by House Speaker Thomas S. Foley (D-Wash.). Many of the lawmakers brought their families onto the floor for the occasion, and the aisles were filled with scampering children and so much noise that Donald K. Anderson, the exasperated clerk of the House, had to pound his gavel for five minutes to restore order.

Amid the uproar, Rep. Peter J. Visclosky (D-Ind.) entertained two of his children by reading the book “Aladdin” to them. Other children squirmed in their seats or fell asleep.

When the newly elected members raised their right hands and swore to uphold the Constitution, many of the youngsters jumped up and raised their hands as well. It was a sea of faces that included many more blacks, Latinos and women than ever before--a diversity that leaders of both parties predicted would have a powerful impact on the agenda of the new Congress.

“The freshman class is more than a group of new members. It’s a commitment to change, a promise of hope for the House,” Minority Leader Robert H. Michel (R-Ill.) said.

“The American people have signaled their impatience with the pace of reform and change,” added Foley, who said that the record turnover in the November election represented a mandate from the voters to do away with gridlock and politics as usual. “We are beginning an historic new Congress,” he told the House, promising that change will be forthcoming now that Democrats control the White House and Capitol Hill.

Foley’s pledge was echoed in the Senate by Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-Me.), who said that his first priority will be to press for swift confirmation of President-elect Bill Clinton’s Cabinet nominees--a process that begins this week with a round of confirmation hearings for Democratic Party Chairman Ronald H. Brown as commerce secretary, Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.) as defense secretary and Federico Pena as transportation secretary.

A note of caution was sounded earlier, however, by Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who is coordinating the Republican effort to research Clinton’s Cabinet choices and who warned that Republicans will try to brake any Democratic attempt to steam roll the confirmations through the Senate.

But such cautionary notes were small glitches in a festive day. The ceremonies were more solemn in the Senate, with the chamber erupting into applause as the senators approached the chair in groups of four to take the oath of office from Vice President Dan Quayle.

The only emotional moment that rivaled the spontaneity displayed by the more rambunctious House came when newly elected Illinois Democrat Carol Moseley Braun, attired in a bright orange suit, flashed a thumbs-up gesture as she took the oath of office and assumed her place in history as the first black woman elected to the Senate. Both chambers now have record numbers of women: six in the Senate and 47 in the House.

In the House, Foley was reelected as Speaker and Michel was reelected as leader of the minority Republican Party in a bit of early business, but for the most part, receptions, luncheons and champagne celebrations were the order of the day--a whirlwind of social activity that at least one impatient freshman found tough to take.

“I’m tired of the banquets,” said Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.), a former Black Panther member. “Let’s get to work.”

Congress by the Numbers: A breakdown of the members of the 103rd Congress SENATE (100 members) Six women, a record. One black, Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.) One American Indian, Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D-Colo.), the Senate’s first in more than 60 years. HOUSE (435 members) 47 women, a record. 17 Latinos, a record. 38 blacks, a record.