The buzz surrounding the state legislature’s special one-week session seems to be more focused on what didn’t, as opposed to what did, happen.

High profile bills, such as a measure to implement a binding arbitration system for teachers, a bill to extend the life of a teacher labor contract indefinitely until a new contract is put in place and a bill that would allow low-income residents who are behind on their utility bills to pay a percentage of their income to have their service restored.

When the legislature doesn’t act on a bill, it has the same effect as if it voted the bill down. It dies either way.

But local legislators and a spokesman for House Speaker Bill Murphy (D-West Warwick) said yesterday that they were pleased with several bills that they believe will improve the quality of life for the state’s residents.

“It was a fruitful session. It was designed to take the bills that were still in limbo from this year’s session and pass them,” said Representative Nicholas Mattiello (D-Cranston).

Larry Berman, a spokesman for Murphy, agreed, saying that much was accomplished during the special session. Berman said that bills criminalizing indoor prostitution, banning text messaging while driving, strengthening the law against drunk driving, increasing the penalty for minors who drive boats while intoxicated and banning underage girls from working at strip clubs were all significant accomplishments.

Rhode Island became the last state in the country to make prostitution illegal last week.

With respect to drunk driving, a motorist who causes an accident with a death or serious injury and appears impaired will now be forced to submit to a blood test, providing a judge issues a warrant.

“Those are five good examples of bills that were very important to public safety and the quality of life in Rhode Island,” said Berman.

It’s currently unknown how many of the 200 bills that will cross Governor Donald Carcieri’s desk are destined for a veto; but Berman said Speaker Murphy expects the governor to sign those five bills.

Critics will notice a glaring omission from the Speaker’s list of accomplishments: there are no significant revisions to the state’s tax or economic policy, long cited as a contributor to Rhode Island’s fiscal woes.

But Berman pointed out that the House leadership is planning an economic summit, scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

“It’s still in the planning stages, but they plan on bringing in experts from Washington, D.C., to talk about how serious these economic issues are [and] some ways to pull Rhode Island out of this economic crisis,” said Berman, “because these issues are more than a Rhode Island problem; they’re a national problem.”

This Thursday, the House Democrats will hold a caucus, which ironically includes all but six of the House’s 75 members.

Mattiello, who agreed with Berman’s assessments of the legislature’s accomplishments last week, said he expects a heavy debate amongst the caucus’ diverse makeup and views.

“No matter how you look at it, there will be difficult issues to tackle, but we’ll make the decisions to make Rhode Island into a more robust economy,” said Mattiello. Expect a discussion on whether or not taxes should be hiked.

“There is going to be a debate on whether you raise taxes. In my opinion, that would increase the pressure that is causing the decline in revenue and make things worse,” he said.

State Representative Arthur Handy (D-Cranston), a member of the legislature’s progressive caucus, said he has mixed emotions about the special session. Handy is the sponsor of the legislation that would have allowed residents that were behind on their utility bills to pay a percentage of income.

“I don’t think there has ever been a scenario where I haven’t felt mixed emotions at the end of a legislative session,” said Handy.

“And this was surely no exception.”

Handy said he was pleased with a bill that increased the rights of people on probation. Under the old rules, a person accused of a crime, without being convicted yet, could have their probation revoked. Now, a person merely accused of a crime cannot be sent back to jail—a move Handy said is not only fair but will save taxpayers money.

State Senator Beatrice Lanzi, (D-Cranston) saw her bill that will allow students at state universities and colleges to complete their degree programs in three years, as opposed to four —providing they can complete their coursework in time, go through. That, she said, will allow students to save on money, and give employers access to educated workers more quickly.

“I absolutely thought the session was productive on a number of fronts,” said Lanzi.