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ST. PAUL — Years from now, what will be remembered that the 2008 Minnesota Legislature accomplished?

Will it be the gas-tax hike and other transportation fees that went up to pay for more roads, bridges and transit?

Will it be the constitutional amendment lawmakers put on the ballot this fall to raise the state's sales tax for outdoors and culture? The bonding bill that funds area higher education, hockey, parks and recreation, and the St. Cloud Civic Center?

Will it be their last-minute efforts to solve an almost $1 billion state budget deficit, provide property tax relief, send some more money to school districts and overhaul the state's health care system?

Or will it be the work lawmakers left unfinished when the final whistle blew?

Soon, lawmakers will be hitting the road to campaign on their achievements and talk about what more they would have liked to do.

But, before that, let's take a closer look at the session's hits, misses and what happened early Sunday when everyone else was asleep.

Bill outcomes
FAILED
• What: $2 million bonding request for St. Cloud Regional Airport’s land acquisition plans wasn’t included in the bonding bill Pawlenty signed April 7.
•  What: Comprehensive public health bill that would have prevented the sale of children’s products that contain phthalates and can be placed in a child’s mouth. Vetoed: May 12.
• What: A comprehensive education policy bill that would have raised the dropout age for Minnesota students from 16 to 18. Vetoed: May 13.
• What: An increase in the state’s minimum wage to $7.75 an hour for large employers and $6.75 an hour for small employers by next summer. Vetoed: Thursday.
• What: A bill giving increased access to birth records for adopted people. Vetoed: Friday.
• What: A bill attempting to adopt California’s vehicle emissions standards died in committee in both houses.
• What: A bill authorizing the medical use of marijuana passed the Senate but never received a vote in the House.
• What: Attempts to make not wearing a seat belt a primary violation and to require vehicle booster seats for children up to age 8 were rejected in the House of Representatives.
• What: Attempts to phase out Job Opportunity Building Zones outstate economic development tax breaks were left out of the final budget deal.
• What: The 2008 budget leaves spending structured in such a way that next year’s Legislature is likely to deal with a budget deficit estimated to be $1 billion to $2 billion for the next two-year budget cycle, unless the economy improves.

PASSED
• What: A proposed constitutional amendment to raise the state’s sales tax by three-eighths of a cent and dedicate the revenue to wildlife habitat, parks and trails, cultural heritage and clean water. When: The proposal will go to voters this fall. Lawmakers passed it Feb. 15.
• What: A comprehensive transportation bill raising the state’s gas tax by 8.5 cents per gallon over 10 years, authorizing Twin Cities metro sales tax increases for transit and borrowing money to fix and replace state bridges. When: It was passed Feb. 25 over Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto.
• What: A state construction borrowing bill that includes money for St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud Technical College, the National Hockey Center, St. Cloud Civic Center, regional parks and trails and more. When: Passed April 2, although Pawlenty cut $200 million in projects with his line-item veto.
•  What: A “good faith” insurance-practices bill from Sen. Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud, requiring insurance companies to pay valid claims. When: Signed into law April 18.
• What: Designates July 27 as Korean War Armistice Day from Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, and Rep. Dan Severson, R-Sauk Rapids. When: Signed into law May 5.
• What: Provides disaster relief and compensation for victims of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse and southeastern Minnesota flooding. When: Signed into law May 8 and May 12, respectively.
• What: Commits the state to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. When: Signed into law May 12.
•  What: Comprehensive agriculture and veterans policy increasing the minimum content of biodiesel fuel to 20 percent of the total volume of diesel sold by 2015. When: Signed into law May 12.
• What: A comprehensive higher education policy containing provisions from Rep. Larry Haws, DFL-St. Cloud, on in-state tuition for veterans’ families, allowing Minnesota State Colleges and Universities campuses to use revenue bonds to finance improvements to two-year college campuses and other provisions. When: Signed into law May 12.
• What: Allows courts to extend orders for protection and restraining orders for up to 50 years for repeated threats and violations. The bill is from Rep. Larry Hosch, DFL-St. Cloud, and Sen. Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud. When: Signed into law Thursday.
• What: The Abigail Taylor pool safety act, requiring public pool drains to be screwed in place. When: Signed into law Friday.
• What: Justin’s Law, restricting the online sale of addictive prescription medications, from Rep. Steve Gottwalt, R-St. Cloud. When: Signed into law Friday.
• What: Would cap local governments’ property tax levy increases at 3.9 percent for three years, reform the JOBZ economic development program, provide $42 million in additional state aid to cities and $22 million more to counties, tighten corporate tax exemptions, expand the homeowners property tax refund program and authorize local tax breaks for a Mall of America expansion. When: Passed both chambers Sunday evening.
• What: A $105.5 million supplemental state construction borrowing bill containing money for the Central Corridor light rail line, land for a Lake Vermillion State Park and building construction at the Minneapolis Veterans Home. When: Passed both chamber Sunday evening.
• What: A health care reform bill that seeks to extend coverage to 12,000 uninsured Minnesotans, increase preventive public health efforts, reform medical payment procedures and encourage health care providers to emphasize primary care. When: Passed both houses early Sunday morning.
•  What: A spending bill that taps $500 million in budget reserves and provides $51 per student of added K-12 funding by freezing Q-Comp, a 2 percent reimbursement rate increase for nursing homes, and cuts $355 million in planned spending from state government, health and human services and higher education budgets. When: Passed both houses Sunday afternoon.

STILL WORKING ON IT
Votes remaining as of late Sunday:
• What: A constitutional amendment proposal to have an independent commission set the salary and benefits of legislators and constitutional officers passed the House of Representatives, awaited a Senate vote Sunday.
• What: A bill attempting to provide subprime mortgage borrowers with relief passed both houses, but their differences awaited a final vote Sunday.
• What: A bill attempting to enforce state agreements with Northwest Airlines awaited a final vote Sunday.
• What: A bill setting state policy on stem cell research awaited a final vote Sunday.
• What: A transportation policy bill that included new restrictions on provisional driver’s licenses for teens awaited a final vote Sunday.

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