103rd U.S. Congress Meets Today : Legislation: The lawmakers hope to speed approval of Democratic programs, and to restore public confidence.

WASHINGTON — The 103rd Congress convenes today with high hopes of ending the legislative gridlock that has dogged the Capitol and with its Democratic leadership committed to speed approval of programs proposed by the first Democratic President in 12 years.

After a year of enormous political upheaval, fed by public dissatisfaction with the federal government, lawmakers are eager not only to move quickly on important legislation but also to show Americans that their government can work effectively and is worthy of their trust.

“There is no conflict on agendas,” said a spokesman for House Speaker Thomas S. Foley (D-Wash.). A spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell (D-Me.) added: “We want to demonstrate progress and get things passed.”

Legislators plan to address a spectrum of issues that includes jobs, health care, ethics and fetal tissue research. Topping the list, however, is the economy--the issue a majority of voters identified as the most important as they cast their votes two months ago.

“The American people view the economy as the No. 1 priority of business for the new Administration and the 103rd Congress,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Jim Sasser (D-Tenn.). “We both have an obligation to move.”

With the House already organized--earlier than in any Congress in recent memory--and the Senate rushing hearings on confirmation of President-elect Bill Clinton’s Cabinet, a fast start appears certain.

The new Congress, with 100 newcomers in the House and a dozen more in the Senate, is expected to breathe new life into several proposals that were vetoed by President Bush.

In addition, Clinton has pledged to submit an economic recovery package and health care legislation within the first 100 days of his presidency to deal with two issues that helped him defeat Bush in the race for the White House.

Here are some of the top-priority items that Congress will consider in its opening weeks:

* Economic package. Clinton has called his top advisers to Little Rock on Thursday to discuss measures to be presented to Congress to stimulate the economy and reduce the record budget deficit.

Early indications are that the package will include an investment tax credit to spur business spending and some kind of break for middle-income taxpayers. Deficit-cutting measures probably will be part of the package but Clinton’s final decisions are yet to be made. Congress is poised to act quickly.

* Health care. Indications are that the President-elect is still far from making up his mind about the kind of program he will present to lawmakers, who tried and failed to get agreement last year on a measure to make health insurance more available and to hold down soaring medical costs. Because of its complexity and far-reaching impact, this legislation may take many months to get through Congress.

* Family and medical leave. Twice blocked by Bush vetoes, this measure would require the nation’s largest firms to grant employees as much as 12 weeks of unpaid leave in cases of childbirth, adoption, illness or other family emergencies.

With Clinton’s endorsement, the bill is expected to sail through the House and Senate late this month or early in February and be signed into law by the new President, despite objections of business organizations and some Republicans.

* Motor-voter bill. A version of this legislation was also killed by a Bush veto. It would require that states allow citizens to register to vote at drivers’ licensing stations as well as other government offices.

* Fetal tissue research. The Bush Administration restrictions on research using fetal tissue would be reversed under legislation reauthorizing the National Institutes of Health. The bill also would provide new funds for research on breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. Bush’s opposition to the fetal tissue provisions kept the measure from becoming law last year.

Elsewhere on the congressional agenda, the Senate scheduled a series of hearings on Clinton’s Cabinet nominees in hopes of early confirmation once Clinton has been inaugurated on Jan. 20. The first hearing was set for Wednesday on Secretary of Commerce nominee Ronald H. Brown, chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a high-powered Washington lawyer-lobbyist.

Hearings are scheduled Thursday on three more Cabinet nominees and other Senate panels are expected to question most of the other potential members of Clinton’s Cabinet by the end of next week.

Several Republican senators have organized research efforts on the nominees and are expected to raise questions about Brown and Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.), Clinton’s choice to be secretary of defense.

In another development Monday, about two dozen members of the National Organization for Women demonstrated at the Capitol against the seating of newly reelected Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.), who is accused of sexually harassing women on his staff during his previous four terms in the Senate. Packwood has acknowledged that he misbehaved but has said that he will not resign.

The Senate Ethics Committee has started a preliminary inquiry into the charges against Packwood, who was regarded as a champion of women’s rights before the allegations of harassment were made public after his election victory last November.

“This is not just an Oregon issue--it’s a national issue,” said Betty Roberts, a former Oregon Supreme Court member who once ran against Packwood for a Senate seat. She said that Packwood should be barred from taking his seat on grounds that he falsely denied the allegations of sexual misconduct during his recent campaign.

“There is no place for sexual harassers in the Senate,” added Patricia Ireland, president of NOW. In another development, Rep. Steve Gunderson (R-Wis.) stepped down Monday as chief deputy GOP whip, protesting that his party’s leadership in the House is moving “increasingly hard-right” and out of the Republican mainstream.

“I suspect that much of their agenda will be rigid confrontation and opposition, a strategy that simply does not suit my style of political cooperation,” Gunderson said in a statement.