Republican leaders today made it clear at the opening of the 2009 Montana Legislature that they'll be pressing their own agenda, saying their message of lower taxes and less government still resonates with the voters.

"This is still a Republican state," Senate President Bob Story, R-Park City, told fellow Republican senators at a party meeting this morning, noting that Republicans regained majority control of the Senate despite a sweep of statewide offices by Democrats last November. "We have to carry (our) message and let people know why we're here."

House Minority Leader Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, was blunter still, telling fellow House members today that the state must "live within its means" and calling Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer "the biggest spender in the history of the state of Montana."

He predicted that if the Legislature doesn't craft a frugal state budget, "we'll be back multiple times over the next two years to do the work that we're sent to do here in this 90 days."

Republicans hold a 27-23 majority in the state Senate and the House is split 50-50. But any legislation still must go through Gov. Schweitzer, who won re-election by a wide margin in November.

Democrats won the other four statewide state offices last election, as well as two of the three competitive seats on the state Public Service Commission, expanding their majority there to 4-1.

While legislative Republicans staked out their philosophical ground at the Capitol, today also featured the more traditional first-day promises and hopes of the two parties working together to address the state budget and other thorny issues.

"I just think it was good to set a positive tone," said House Majority Leader Margarett Campbell, D-Poplar. Montanans aren't interested in partisan politics and "just want us to get our business done," she said.

"Just because an ideas comes from the other side of the aisle, don't dismiss it," Story told the full Senate shortly after he was elected to the body's post unanimously. "The disagreements will be philosophical and not personal."

The scheduled four-month session will set the state's budget for the next two years, as well as consider hundreds of other bills on everything from energy to health care to education.

Montana is one of a handful of states not facing a budget deficit, but legislators of both parties have warned that state revenue may be less than expected, as the national economy's woes filter down to Montana.

While Democrats generally ignored specific issues, Republicans outlined some principles they want to pursue, including an austere state budget, making it easier to get energy and other developments off the ground, stopping any significant property-tax increase from reappraisal and openness in government.

"The more people can see what we're doing here, the more they will see that we're seriously trying to address problems," Story said.

Legislative Republicans have set up a "blog" or web log at www.rotundareport.com, where they'll be interacting with and informing the public about what they're doing at the 2009 Legislature.

Story also said that lawmakers -- particularly Republicans -- need to assert their role in setting policy, and maintain a balance of power between the Legislature and the executive branch headed up by the governor.

"One of our roles is to assert our agenda," he said.