There’s concern in Augusta that zealous lawmakers will introduce another landslide of legislation for the upcoming session, at a cost of between $325 and $370 each, according to the Portland Press Herald.

From the number of bills introduced in the last session, it is expected the first act of lawmaking could again cost between $700,000 and $800,000.

That’s a big bill for bills, even before the tip.

Of course, the overall number of bills filed by lawmakers isn’t the real problem. The problem is duplicative, poorly drafted or unnecessary pieces of legislation which should not have been introduced in the first place.

In the thirst to save money, we don’t want lawmakers becoming reluctant about introducing sensible ideas. We do want legislators to become more thoughtful and practical about what they introduce.

There’s only so many hours in the session, you know. And every one spent debating something unproductive is an hour diverted from more important issues, like taxes, health care or, this year, balancing the books.

The mandate for improving legislative efficiency should fall upon those most experienced in the process. Although term limits are often blamed for reducing institutional knowledge under the Capitol dome, many faces remain familiar.

This is a leadership issue. While stopping legislators outright from filing bills arguably stifles democracy, there’s little wrong with State House veterans ensuring their colleagues submit the best ideas possible.

This help could come through offering counsel on navigating tricky issues, or sharing legislative war stories from sessions past, or providing contacts and context to flesh out their nascent policy notions.

In short, all the things the legislature is probably going to do anyway.

Nothing is going to stop legislators from trying to get their issues passed. It’s what they are elected to do in the first place. But, as a group, it is in the body’s best interest to ensure State House time and taxpayer money are spent wisely.

A smaller number of bills could do that.

The fewest number of bad bills would do it better.