PLATTSBURGH — New North Country Congressman William Owens was sworn into office Friday and met with the president.

The Democrat is expected to face his first major test today when he casts his vote on the controversial House health-care reform bill.

Owens was sworn in at noon at the Capitol building despite the results of his election not yet being certified.

But Owens's major challenger, Conservative Party candidate Douglas Hoffman, conceded the race on election night as the margin is nearly 4,000 votes.

Owens told his new colleagues in Congress that he was honored to be joining them and pledged to help them in "our continuing effort to build a better, stronger America."

Owens thanked his wife, Jane, his three children, Jenna, Tara and Brendan, and his three grandchildren, Caroline, Tommy and Tess for their support throughout the campaign.

"I also want to thank the people of New York's 23rd Congressional District, whose work I begin today," Owens said.

"Conscious of the challenges that face us, I am eager to join my colleagues in finding bipartisan solutions to health care, energy, our farm crisis and our struggling economy."

Later in the afternoon, Owens went to the White House to meet with President Barack Obama.

The history of the moment moved many of Owens's supporters.

"I think Plattsburgh and the North Country is going to benefit greatly at both the state and federal level from having Bill as our congressman," Clinton County Democratic Party Chairman Martin Mannix said.

The much-anticipated vote on health-care reform today is expected to be close and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was reportedly looking for Owens to get sworn in immediately so he could vote.

Owens said Friday that he plans on supporting the Democratic-backed bill.

"This legislation will reform the insurance industry and provide increased access to affordable health care without taxing health-care benefits, cutting Medicare benefits or raising taxes on the middle class, and that is exactly the direction we need to go," Owens said in a statement.

"There are still changes I would like to make, including raising the payroll exemption for small businesses, but like I said last week, there is a fundamental need for reform and we must act with a sense of urgency. This plan will reign in costs, strengthen the middle class and protect our economy from additional debt down the road."

Owens also said he was concerned about provisions that would prevent paper producers from receiving a tax credit for the production of certain wood by-products.

"Forestry and the paper-products industry are incredibly important to our community, and I will be looking for a way to ensure that they are not unduly burdened in any health-care legislation," Owens said.

Democrats claim that the bill would end the ability of insurance companies to deny care based on pre-existing conditions and would reduce the federal deficit by $104 billion over the next decade.

The bill also includes an exemption for small businesses with a payroll of less than $500,000.

Owens said he would like to see that exemption raised to include a greater percentage of operations considered small businesses.

During the campaign, Owens said he supported legislation that would end pre-existing condition exclusions, reign in spending, protect small businesses and keep middle-class taxes low.

Republicans argue that the bill is way too costly for middle-class Americans. They specifically targeted Owens on his first day on the job.

"Now that Owens is under Nancy Pelosi's leadership, his plans to act independently seem to have been shoved aside," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Tory Mazzola said.

"He's being courted by top Washington Democrats to flip on his promise to oppose a public option, protect Medicare benefits and hold the line on taxes. If Owens flips on these promises to Central and Northern New Yorkers, this could be the quickest broken promise in the history of Congress."

The National Federation of Independent Business urged New York's congressional delegation to vote against the bill.

"The mis-named Affordable Health Care for American Act doesn't do that," NFIB spokesman Mike Elmendorf, said.

"All it does is increase costs, limit choices and kill competition."

Owens is the first Democrat to hold the seat in the 23rd District since 1852.

His victory in Tuesday's election was to fill the final year on the term of former Congressman John McHugh, a Republican who was named secretary of the Army by the president last June.

The seat in the 23rd District will be up for re-election again in 2010.

"We're not throwing away the signs, we're picking them up and saving them," Mannix said Friday.

E-mail Joe LoTemplio at: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com