Maine’s moderate Republican senators are poised to be among the most popular people on Capitol Hill when the 111th Congress convenes next year.

Experts say U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins will be at the center of nearly all major policy negotiations.

“In order to head off filibusters, the Democrats will need the moderates with them and Snowe and Collins are probably the first ones they are going to turn to,” said John Baughman, a political science professor at Bates College.

The senators agreed their goal in the new Congress and under the Obama administration will be to help move legislation through the Senate and to cast a critical eye on bills that are not negotiated in a bipartisan manner.

“My aim is to solve problems … and to help restore the public’s confidence in the integrity of their elected officials,” Snowe said. “If my position, my vote and my voice can help accomplish that, I certainly will relish that role.”

Collins said some senators on both sides of the aisle “care more about ideology and scoring political points” than about passing legislation, making the moderates more powerful.

“I believe our strength and power will be enhanced in this next Congress,” Collins said.

Both senators acknowledged Democrats can count on them to support legislation expanding the state children’s health insurance program, which was vetoed by President Bush last year. They also will support increased funding for the low-income home energy assistance program.

But Snowe said she would watch bills that affect small businesses closely and Collins said she would be wary of expansive spending increases.

“First, do no harm,” Snowe said. “We have to do everything we can to avert the erosion of small businesses. That’s why I’m going to have to examine everything through that lens.”

Collins said she was “reassured” by the inclusive tone of President-elect Obama’s election night speech, but she was concerned about his campaign’s spending proposals.

“That’s an area that I would hope to temper, the amount of spending, even if I agree with some of the policies,” she said.

Snowe and Collins both highlighted the need to pass a comprehensive energy package that would set benchmarks toward reaching energy independence.

“If we don’t do it, we’re going to continue lurching from crisis to crisis but never resolve the problem,” Snowe said.

Collins said the bipartisan group of 20 senators she joined last summer has been working on an energy bill that “shows great promise.”

Linda Fowler, a government professor at Dartmouth College, said the Maine senators have an established reputation of working effectively and pragmatically as legislators.

“There are two kinds of lawmakers in Washington – work horses and show horses,” she said. “John McCain was a show horse. He was always out there in front on some controversial issue. Then there are people who are quietly effective, the people who are actually getting most of the work done, and that’s where Snowe and Collins are.”

Hyper-partisanship has infected Capitol Hill, making real lawmaking a lost art, Snowe said.

“President-elect Obama will be well-served to invite people in, have conversations and figure out how to build those bridges,” Snowe said. “That happened consistently under Presidents Carter, Reagan, former President Bush and even President Clinton. It almost has to be learned because there are so many new people.”

Snowe said former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, a Republican, would put lawmakers in a room and ask them to work out their differences on specific bills.

“It’s an acquired taste,” she said.