HELENA -- Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Democrats in the Senate are moving his agenda forward, and it is now up to Republicans in the House to do the same.

The governor was joined by his party's legislative leaders Tuesday to tout success in advancing full day kindergarten, $400 property tax rebates and K-12 funding through the Senate in the first 16 days of the session.

Democrats have a slim edge in the Senate, while Republicans hold the House by a small margin. Neither side will be able to ram an agenda through.

But Democrats in the Senate clearly want to take the initiative on the debate.

"We're here to say we're meeting our end of the bargain," Senate Majority Leader Carol William, D-Missoula, said at a news conference.

But House Speaker Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, said he remains focused on advancing the GOP initiatives through the House and won't change his strategy just because the Senate is making quick work of the governor's agenda.

"I don't feel any undo pressure on these items the governor and the Senate Democrats have an interest in," Sales aid. "I don't think they have any more merit than the ideas we possess."

Schweitzer believes his proposals will get Republican support in the end, although he said he understands they may be altered.

"I would encourage the House to start moving on some of the major pieces of work," Schweitzer said.

Senate President Mike Cooney, D-Helena, said Democrats are sticking to the game plan in advancing legislation that many touted during their election campaigns last year.

"These pieces of legislation are moving with great vigor in the Senate and, hopefully, in the House where, hopefully, they will be considered properly," Cooney said.

Cooney said the Senate will also be voting this week on plans by the governor to start a "rainy day" savings account, and another proposal to expand health insurance for poor children.

House Minority Leader John Parker, D-Great Falls, said the "chances are excellent" that the policy initiatives will make it through the Republican-controlled House.

"I think we've got a shared commitment to moving this state forward," he said.

He also recognized that the governor's tax rebate will need to be negotiated with Republican plans to offer an across-the-board cut to property tax rates.

House Republicans have held hearings on social conservative issues like parental notification for teen abortions, and will have their own tax proposals coming, Sales said. The heavy lifting will come when the House starts looking at the governor's budget for places to peel back spending.

"We are going to try to bring some sanity back to the budget process," Sales said.