(RALEIGH) -- For the first time in more than a century, Republicans had control of both chambers when the General Assembly convened in Raleigh. The House and Senate elected their leadership positions.

The Senate unanimously elected Rockingham County Sen. Phil Berger as president pro tempore. Berger said just as families are reducing household budgets, state government must do the same to close its $3.7 billion budget gap. "State government and state employees will have to more with less as we work to right-size state government.  It's not going to be easy, but streamlining state government will pay dividends in the long run," said Berger.

Mecklenburg County Rep. Thom Tillis was also elected Speaker of the House, defeating previous House Speaker Joe Hackney. Tillis said Republicans will honor a campaign pledge not to raise taxes in order to solve the budget gap. "We're confronted with a budget deficit that threatens our ability to fund crucial services and we're spending beyond our means.  We must lower the heightened expectations as to what government should do for us and we must raise the expectations for what we must do for ourselves," said Tillis.

The State House wasted no time introducing a major bill on opening day. The measure would attempt to block a provision in the federal heath care reform law that would require Americans to buy insurance beginning in 2014 or face a monetary penalty.  The State House Judiciary Committee is meeting on Thursday to debate the legislation.