AUGUSTA (AP) – Motorists will have to be more careful about using their seat belts, young drivers will have to keep off their cell phones, and car owners will be able to proclaim their support for U.S. troops with special license plates, as a result of laws enacted during the 2007 session.

Off the highways, the Legislature passed laws affecting mortgages, medical leave, the environment, public health and a broad range of other issues during its six-month session, which is scheduled to end this week. Additional bills dealing with Dirigo Health and other issues still await final action.

Lawmakers even dabbled in show biz and told musical groups that borrow the names of oldie bands to be careful how they promote themselves. And they made it easier to go after lobster trap molesters.

The biggest achievement this session was education reform, which will bring about Maine’s first school district consolidation effort in a half century, said a veteran lawmaker.

“We’re treading on thin ice really not knowing what’s going to transpire until we start putting this into place,” said 10-term Rep. Herbert Clark. The Millinocket Democrat believes the bill was saved by last-minute fix-ups that eased compliance dates and penalties.

The reform package, which was part of a $6.3 billion two-year state budget, consolidates Maine’s 152 school administrative systems to 80 in hopes of generating $36.5 million in savings that will be passed on to property taxpayers.

Also in the area of education, Maine will become the first state to require high school students to fill out college applications as a condition for graduation under a plan – still awaiting expected final approval – that replicates what some schools are already doing.

Another law sets the stage for two students to serve on the state Board of Education, although without voting powers.

A new law that clamps down on predatory mortgage lending practices is one of America’s toughest, advocates say. It outlaws pressuring borrowers to refinance without any benefit to the consumer in order to generate higher fees. The law also targets “equity stripping” and other practices that rob people of their most important assets: their homes.

Senior citizens get new protections from financial exploitation when transactions are made on their behalf. Banks and credit unions will be allowed to disclose financial records to the state when they believe an incapacitated or dependent adult is at risk of abuse or neglect.

Another consumer protection law prohibits insurance agents who schedule appointments to discuss Medicare from trying to interest people in other policies.

Maine’s Family Medical Leave Act is broadened to include domestic partners. The law already protects employees who take time off to care for spouses, parents and children with serious health conditions.

Inspired by the unexplained death of a former legislative aide while serving in Afghanistan, the Legislature enacted a law that creates a commission to review all preventative health treatment practices and vaccinations and medications given to Maine National Guard members. Gov. John Baldacci is expected to sign the bill.

Maine takes a significant step against global warming through a law authorizing the state to join the 10-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The nation’s first cap and trade program is intended to reduce pollution from the region’s power plants by 10 percent over a decade through 2018. Baldacci is expected to sign the bill Monday.

Incentives to use power from the sun were recharged as lawmakers voted to give property owners who invest in solar energy systems another couple of years – through the end of 2010 – to qualify for state rebates.

State laws to protect Maine’s shore birds were revised and eased in response to concerns that current laws prevent development along the coast.

Environmental health was also at issue in the State House.

If Baldacci signs the bill, cellular phone retailers will have to accept old phones for reuse, recycling or proper disposal, and bar disposal of cell phones in landfills, as a way to keep toxic chemicals out of the environment.

With hopes of making Maine schools cleaner and greener, lawmakers directed the Department of Education to promote the use of environmentally safe cleaning products and pesticides in schools and to make a list of preferred products and disinfectants.

Maine joins other states taking steps to phase out “deca” forms of flame retardants in furniture and plastic-covered consumer products. The new law bans polybrominated diphenyl ethers in mattresses and upholstered furniture starting next January. They are banned in TVs, computers and other plastic-cased home electronics by 2010.

A new law prohibits drivers younger than 18 from operating a motor vehicle while using a mobile phone or any hand-held electronic device. Fines are $50 for the first offense and $250 for a second or subsequent offense.

Failing to use seat belts will become a primary offense, meaning a police officer can cite a driver or passenger solely for failing to wear a seat belt. The old law said a motorist must be stopped for another offense in order to be cited for nonuse of seat belts.

Lawmakers authorized the widening of a nine-mile stretch of the Maine Turnpike from two to three lanes in each direction from Scarborough to Falmouth. The same law also increases the turnpike’s borrowing limit for the project.

A specialty license plate featuring a yellow ribbon and the words “We Support Our Troops” was authorized. It will help to raise money for families of troops serving overseas.

Maine’s pioneering “Deadbeat Parents” law was broadened to include revocation of snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle registrations for refusing to agree to child support payment plans.

A new fire-safety law requires that cigarettes sold in Maine be made so they will stop burning if not smoked for a few minutes. The reduced ignition standards take effect in January.

Domestics employed by for-profit businesses will not be exempt from wage and overtime laws. If working individually, domestics will continue to be exempt from those labor laws.

Even before Maine’s maple sugar season was over, Baldacci signed a bill that clarifies the legal definition of “pure maple syrup” to help consumers decide whether they’re getting the real thing.

Lobstermen whose trap lines are cut are getting some help from a law that makes “molesting” lobster traps a civil offense. The change was sought by those who say it’s too difficult to successfully prosecute trap molestation cases as criminal offenses.

Maine is targeting groups that use the names of old bands, but have no original members. A new law bars groups from advertising or performing under false or misleading connections with other bands. Imitators could face fines of up to $15,000.

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