In the days since Wednesday's final House and Senate sessions, we've been reflecting on the winners and losers of the past six months (politically speaking, of course). This is by no means a conclusive list, but here are some random musings:

Rep. Jim Splaine, a Portsmouth Democrat, has spent decades in the Legislature. But Splaine emerged a big winner this year, as several of his signature issues passed with relative ease. Splaine co-sponsored a bill with Rep. Dana Hilliard to create "spousal unions" for same-sex couples. That proposal served as the foundation for the civil unions bill that Gov. John Lynch eventually signed into law, and which was among the most prominent bills of the session.

Splaine also proposed the Iraq war resolution, which expressed the Legislature's opposition to President Bush's handling of the conflict. That resolution passed the House. More recently, Splaine helped with a last-ditch effort to block several election law bills that were sponsored by Sen. Peter Burling. SB91 - which would change how unions and other groups can donate to candidates - died last week, as did SB 106, which dealt with lobbyist registration and would have allowed people connected to lobbyists to sit on committees established by the judicial branch.

Backers of a smoking ban in restaurants and bars - Sens. David Gottesman and Bob Odell among them - also prevailed this year, and managed to shepherd the bill through the House without amendments. And opponents of the controversial parental notification law, such as Concord Rep. Liz Hager, also won big, as lawmakers supported the law's repeal.

Although Burling lost on some election law issues, he successfully pushed for the elimination of straight-ticket voting, which allows people to choose all the candidates from a single political party by simply checking one box on the ballot.

And House Education Committee Chairwoman Emma Rous and Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Iris Estabrook managed to help craft a definition of an adequate education. Although Estabrook pushed for a stronger version of the definition, which would have directed lawmakers to give more resources to "enhanced needs" schools, the compromise means that the state will meet its court-ordered July 1 deadline to define adequacy.

Supporters of the perennially under-funded Land and Community Heritage Investment Program also eked out a victory, after lawmakers agreed to spend $12 million over the next two years on the program. Senators had proposed cutting the amount to $6 million, but the House pushed back.

As for the losers, this year's list includes backers of a mandatory seatbelt law, such as Reps. Jennifer Brown, Candace Bouchard and Hager. Proponents of the infamous balloon bill, including Rep. Kevin Waterhouse, also took a hit. And a speed limit for boats - which, given the Democratic makeup of the Legislature, had a good chance of passing - also failed, dealing a blow to Rep. James Pilliod, who has made the speed limit a priority.

When it comes to leadership, it's a mixed bag. Lynch didn't get his signature issue - a constitutional amendment on education funding - through the Legislature this year, and some State House watchers have said that Lynch and other amendment backers mismanaged the push.

But Lynch did win on other, albeit less controversial, issues, such as raising the dropout age and banning the burning of demolition and construction debris. And he won a key victory with the tentative State Employees Association contract last month. For years, governors have attempted to persuade SEA members to pay for some of their health insurance. The new proposal requires employees to pay for a minimal portion of that cost.

Senate leadership ran a tight ship, keeping the Democratic caucus together on many key votes. But an attempt to revive the constitutional amendment failed in the Senate, when three Democratic senators opposed the plan and few Republicans joined the Democratic majority. (next page »)