AUGUSTA (AP) – Legislative leaders have begun to set the stage for the 2006 session.

Meeting at the State House, the Legislative Council on Thursday trimmed a list of nearly 500 bills brought forward by legislators down to 175. Sponsors will get another chance Nov. 7 to persuade leaders to let their bills in for consideration during the session that starts Jan. 4.

One of the bills given the go-ahead for the second year of the two-year session addresses an issue that came to light after a fatal accident on the Maine Turnpike this summer: getting drivers with long records of traffic offenses and suspensions off the road.

Rep. Darlene Curley, R-Scarborough, submitted the bill after one of her constituents died of injuries after her car was struck July 29 by a truck driven by a man with multiple license suspensions. Curley’s bill seeks mandatory jail time for drivers with repeated operating-after-suspension violations.

Another bill, which surfaced amid concerns over high gasoline and heating oil prices, bolsters Maine laws that prohibit profiteering on fuel. In a split vote, leaders admitted a bill seeking a $50 million bond issue to promote cultural and economic development.

An $83 million bond package that was approved during this year’s session goes to voters Nov. 8 for final authorization.

The second session of the 122nd Legislature, scheduled to adjourn in April, already has to act on 233 bills that were carried over from this year.

House Speaker John Richardson, D-Brunswick, said 200 new bills “is about the norm for a second session,” adding that anything beyond that number stresses the Legislature’s ability to meet deadlines.

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