The 1995 Legislature is over, and with all such 45-day work-a-thons some good things and not-so-good things happened.
First, the good.Republican legislators realized early on that if they didn't do something about property taxes this year, homeowners were going to get a kick in the pants they'd remember well into the 1996 elections.
So, even though GOP Gov. Mike Leavitt didn't like the idea at first, Republican legislators decided to give a $90 million tax cut and raise the homeowner exemption from 32 percent to 45 percent - the constitutional limit.
If lawmakers had done nothing, a huge Tax Commission factoring order would have resulted in heavy property tax increases for homeowners.
For example, a $100,000 home on the East Bench of Salt Lake City would have seen a $579 property tax hike.
Because they did act, that same home will now see a $187 increase, a savings of $392. Homeowners should be grateful. But because most Salt Lake County homeowners will still see a tax increase on their November tax notices, how grateful they'll be remains to be seen.
Lawmakers and Leavitt also pumped considerable money into a number of programs, including giving teachers $100 each for school supplies and 4 percent raises for state workers.
More prisons will be built, thus avoiding the possibility that violent criminals could be released early because of overcrowding.
And, for the first time in years, conservatives in the House and Senate actually slowed the growth in state government. They didn't stop it. They didn't roll it back. But while Leavitt wanted to spend 8.8 percent more in 1995-96, Republican caucuses held for most of the session at 5.5 percent growth.
In the end, to reach agreement with Leavitt, they spent more and state government grew by 7.1 percent. But, for many of the conservatives, they still didn't spend as much as Leavitt wanted, and they won at least a small victory. Perhaps they'll build on that in future years.
For the most part, the 1995 Legislature did a good job.
From an internal aspect, the session ran smoothly. Evidence of that is more than 400 bills passed, a record.
Even the last day, usually a madhouse, went pretty well.
But there was a downside.
Legislators, especially most of the Senate, went on a feeding frenzy against the media.
What drove them crazy was a bill sponsored by Rep. Jordan Tanner, R-Provo, that would make lobbyists disclose which legislators accepted gifts of $15 and more.
Think about this . . . these legislators were outraged at the thought that what they take from lobbyists, who are being paid to influence them, would be disclosed. Not banned. Not outlawed. But simply disclosed so citizens can see what they are taking, whom they are associating with.
Great piles of indignation. No one can question my integrity, shout veteran and freshmen lawmakers alike. My vote isn't for sale . . . and so on . . . and so on.
As everyone knows, Brutus was an honorable man. But methinks there is too much protesting here.
In the end, the Senate decided $15 disclosure was too much. They set the limit at $50. House members agreed, taking something instead of nothing.
It took the House four years to finally decide more lobbyist disclosure was the right thing to do. The Senate is a much slower body. But as night turns to day, so will reason fall upon the unenlightened.
After all, there's always next year.