For all intents and purposes, the 131st Maine Legislature has finished its first session. All that remains is dividing up a few million dollars still available in a pair of record-setting budgets.

While the legislators parcel out those last few bucks, let’s try to assess the session.

First, background. Having run unsuccessfully for Maine’s House of Representatives, I have followed the doings in Augusta a bit more closely than usual. But it’s hard to get information. The media shun much of the early session. And, they seldom report actual votes.

This from the Bangor Daily News is typical: “While nearly every Democrat cosponsored the bill, a few … joined Republicans in opposing it.” Never did say which Dems voted against. You can find the votes on a bill on a state website. But you have to know the number of the bill, called a legislative draft. The media don’t always report the LD number. Surprise.

So, let’s get on with evaluating our solons, from two vantages: How does it affect Maine, and, had I been elected, where would I have stood on it?

In March, after lots of jaw-hawing, Ds and Rs seemed near a bipartisan budget. But at the 11th hour, Democrats rejected a Republican income tax cut of $200 million. So, Democrats passed a budget, then adjourned, as required by law, then reconvened. The budget fight set a mean tone for the session, which annoyed me because I had run on working across the aisle to do the work.

Let’s look briefly at four other acts.

Gov. Janet Mills pushed hard for a bill to allow abortions after fetal viability (24 weeks or so) if a physician concludes the fetus has a fatal defect and can’t live outside the womb. The bill got through the House only with some wiggling by Democratic leaders, including holding a vote open so a backer could drive two hours from Deer Isle, where she had been feeding her kids.

This bill would have caused me much sturm und drang. As a candidate, I supported Maine’s existing policy. But at some time after viability and before birth, I feel, the state has a protective interest. I hope I wouldn’t have ducked the vote as a dozen or so reps, of both parties did, but the broad wording seems open to abuse. By the way, in 2021 Maine had no abortions after 20 weeks.

Sometimes. the Legislature “fixes” things in a way that only confuses. Enter subsidies for solar developers. From the BDN on Monday: “Lawmakers settled a messy debate over Maine’s solar subsidies … by approving an industry-backed proposal aimed at reining them in.”

And, “Experts haven’t said with any certainty how much the measure will save ratepayers.”

The key words there may be “industry backed.” If the industry that is raking in the big bucks backs the “reforms” … well, you know the rest.

The Legislature took two big-program steps, housing people can afford and family leave.

Maine is short about 20,000 housing units, according to Maine Community Housing. The Legislature raised more than $100 million for various housing programs. If a unit costs $100,000, which is undoubtedly an underestimate, that would build 1,000 units. Not nearly enough.

Most of that $100 million goes to rural housing. Yet, a (too long) headline Sunday in the Sun Journal read: “A vacancy rate of zero is pushing up rents and has Lewiston and Auburn embracing any and all new housing.” So, L/A has joined Portland in pushing working people out of town.

If my column on Feb. 26, 2022, is any indication, lack of housing isn’t the issue out here in the boondocks: “On Jan. 30 … I counted empty houses along the way from … where Route 2 meets I-95, to my house in New Sharon. Through (seven) towns … I counted 34 empty houses.”

I’d say rural Maine has houses. We need people to fill them. As a candidate, I pitched diverse jobs for rural Maine. I doubt legislators thought this one through. At best, it’s too little too late.

Finally, Maine is about to become the 13th state with paid family leave. Starting in 2025, a payroll tax of 1%, divided equally between workers and employer, is to finance the program. In the meantime, the state will cover the cost, starting with $25 million this year.

This fills in gaps in medical and family leave policies. For example, when my girlfriend’s mother died last month, four of her six siblings could take paid family leave. Two received the leave through union contracts, two through non-union private employers. Two had none.

Had I been a legislator, I would have supported the plan. A few weeks off when our sons were born would have eased the process, which would helped our boys launch into life.

But I have reservations. The smallest businesses will be covered but won’t pay the tax. Who will? Most likely, the General Fund or the taxes on workers and employers in larger businesses.

A couple of major issues remain. Well, more than a couple, but my pet peeves are to start rebuilding a mental health system and to extend free community college tuition for next-career people, such as mill hands, to train for new jobs.

I may take up these points in a future column.

As he has written before, Bob Neal says running for the Maine House was the greatest learning experience of his 83 years. As also written before, he will never do it again. Neal can be reached at [email protected].