AUGUSTA — State Senator Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) became the 116th president of the Maine Senate on December 3.

Senate President Thibodeau was sworn in by Gov. Paul LePage during the first session of the 127th Legislature.

Thibodeau served as Senate Republican Leader during the 126th Legislature and was unanimously elected as Senate President after Republicans won the majority in the Maine Senate in the November 2014 election.

During his swearing-in speech, Thibodeau laid out a bold agenda for the 127th Legislature, calling for a focus on welfare reform, reduced energy costs, and finding more resources for Maine's elderly and disabled populations.

He noted, however, that getting any meaningful work done will require cooperation. "As a result of the election, we have a Republican-controlled Senate and a Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. This means that nothing happens here unless we work together. In short, the voters of Maine said, 'Work it out,' and they don't want to hear excuses.

"Here in Augusta, we must resist the attempt to make the state budget a priority over the family budget. We simply cannot ask Maine families to give up a bigger portion of their paycheck when they're already working hard to make ends meet at home. This will be challenging, but together we can accomplish it," Senate President Thibodeau said.

Senator Garrett Mason (R-Androscoggin) is the new Senate Majority Leader following today's swearing-in ceremony. Senator Mason said, "I am looking forward to working with all of my Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle over the next two years. We have enormous challenges in front of us, and I believe we will rise to those challenges and accomplish great things."

Assistant Senator Majority Leader Andre Cushing (R-Penobscot) echoed that sentiment, saying, "The people of Maine expect the highest standards from us, and we can't let them down. Fortunately, the Maine Senate is comprised of a good diversity of experienced and thoughtful individuals, and I have every reason to believe we can work together to achieve great results.

The Maine Senate is now made up of 21 Republican and 14 Democratic members.

Following today's swearing-in, the Legislature will next convene on January 7, 2015 to begin the First Regular session of the 127th Legislature.