OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry asked lawmakers on Monday to write “a new beginning” for Oklahoma as it enters its second 100 years by focusing on education and job-creating research.

“It's time for us to build on the successes that you and I have accomplished together during the past five years,” he said. “Our actions will buttress the unshakable foundation of our second century of statehood.”

The 2008 Legislature convened at noon for a session that is expected to be dominated by budget issues and election-year rhetoric.

The recent resignation of Republican Lance Cargill as speaker left the House without an official leader as representatives met in joint session with senators to hear Henry's State of the State speech.

Rep. Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, was elected in an afternoon session by acclamation. Republicans outnumber Democrats in the House, 57-44.

Earlier, Benge promised a new style of leadership as he follows in the footsteps of the sometimes-confrontational Cargill.

“Instead of throwing stones and pointing fingers, we must move past the partisan bickering that often takes hold out here at the Capitol, especially in an election year,” Benge said.

Cargill resigned after published reports that he had not filed his state income taxes for two years. The ethics of his fundraising activities also have been questioned.

Henry's executive budget included proposals for an average teacher pay raise of $1,200, a state employee salary increase of 5 percent and earmarking a percentage of gross production tax revenue to build a job-creating research fund to $1 billion.

“As we chart Oklahoma's future, we must strengthen education, the cornerstone of economic prosperity,” the two-term Democratic governor said.

He said Oklahoma had built the best preschool program in the country and bolstered the curriculum for college-bound students.

“But there is more to do,” he said as he urged lawmakers to raise teacher pay to the regional average as part of a promised five-year plan. “We must keep our promise to the teachers, parents and children of Oklahoma,” Henry said.

The governor recommended expanding the school year by five days and using “graduation” coaches to reduce the high school dropout rate. He also proposed doubling the physical education requirement of schools to 120 minutes a week.

In the area of higher education, he proposed fully funding endowed chairs at colleges and universities. He also wants an additional $10 million on the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center.

Henry said the state had created 127,000 new jobs the past five years and its high-tech job growth rate is fifth best in the country.

But he said more needs to be done as he asked for more dollars for research, including earmarking money to beef up the Economic Development Generating Excellence endowment, known as the EDGE fund.

“The year of the Centennial is over. We have celebrated the history and heritage that gives us our identity. We have praised the men and women whose dreams and determination built the state we love. It is time to look to the future. The future begins today,” Henry said.

Senate President Pro Tem Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater, said Henry had set “a very positive tone” for the session and proposed “responsible spending” to move the state forward.

Senate Co-President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, said the governor had outlined a laundry list of spending, but “provided no details about how to pay for it.”

Other budget proposals by Henry included a bond program of almost $200 million to deal with diverse projects, from disaster aid to finishing the Native American Center and the new Supreme Court building.

Henry's bond plan did not include the Department of Corrections, which had been seeking bond money to solve an overcrowding problem. He did recommend $47 million in bonds to complete the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum.

The governor drew standing applause when he asked legislators to fully fund the DOC and end a cycle of the agency having to seek emergency funding each year to pay its bills.

“This situation is inexcusable,” he said. “It presents an immediate danger to the men and women who work in our prisons, and it threatens the safety of our citizens.”

In his speech, Henry urged lawmakers to set aside their differences.

“We cannot move forward by pushing back. We must set aside partisan bickering and reactionary politics. The people of Oklahoma have nothing to gain from petty quarrels, and our time is too precious to waste in gridlock,” Henry said as lawmakers stood and applauded.

Henry had only $32 million in growth revenue to work with in his $7 billion budget after obligations in state law are met. But he also could draw on an estimated $100 million in cash, along with money to be freed up from one-time expenditures from a year ago.

Henry did not mention tax cuts or illegal immigration in his 30-minute speech. Those two issues dominated the 2007 legislative session.

House and Senate Republican leaders have said tax cuts will be considered, but lost revenue will have to be offset by eliminating tax credits and sales tax exemptions.

Changes in a new law to fight illegal immigration also have been proposed, but that law is under legal attack by business groups.

In the House, Democrats and some Republicans have vowed to make ethics a major issue.

The Ethics Commission has passed proposed rules to ban transfer of contributions by political action committees and lower the amount of money lobbyists can spend on legislators from $300 to $100 a year.

The ethics rules will go into effect unless they are rejected by both the House and Senate.

Henry is proposing to increase the budget of the Ethics Commission by $160,000. The agency says its operations budget has been cut in half in recent years.