AUGUSTA – One lawmaker wants to ban smoking on public beaches. Another on state park beaches. Both submitted bills.

If you’ve ever wondered what keeps legislators busy, you only need to check out the list of legislative requests.

As of Jan. 2, there were more than 750 submissions. The deadline for requests was 4 p.m. Friday and clerks in the Office of the Revisor of Statutes are so busy processing the requests and writing up the language of the bills they said they would not be able to make updated lists available for weeks.

Legislators from Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties are heavy in the mix.

Sen. John Nutting, D-Leeds, submitted an “Act To Protect Beaches in Maine’s State Parks” based on a constituent’s complaint that her child was finding cigarette butts in the sand at the beach at Range Pond State Park in Poland.

Rep. L. Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls, submitted the “Act To Ban Smoking on Public Beaches and in Public Parks” because a constituent complained to him about visiting Old Orchard Beach.

Though the bills are similar in nature, they aren’t the same thing, Knight said.

“The revisor’s office is supposed to combine bills of like issues,” he said. “Apparently, they either missed this one, or they see a difference between state parks and public beaches.”

Knight, who serves on the Taxation Committee, has also submitted requests for several bills that would alter the state’s tax code. One would change how vehicle excise tax is assessed, one would reduce income tax and broaden the sales tax, and one would prevent the state from taxing severance packages of workers whose employer goes out of business.

“That relates directly to Wausau Paper,” he said, referring to the Jay mill that permanently shut down one of its paper machines in December. “As it stands now, they are looking at a 40 percent tax bill on their severance. I can’t do anything about the federal, but I can do something about the 8.5 percent the state’s charging and that’s the intent of that bill.”

Rep. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, said she submitted a bill that would consolidate the boards of trustees of the University of Maine system, the community college system and Maine Maritime Academy, in an effort to increase savings and efficiencies.

“It would create a seamless higher education system,” she said.

She also submitted a bill to require the state to pay its bills on time.

“We have to start making ourselves accountable as a state,” she said. “It’s important to raise the issue and explore the reasons why we haven’t been.”

Sen. Deb Simpson, D-Auburn, also wants bills paid; child support bills. A bill she submitted would require all independent contractors reported as new hires for child support collection.

“Right now, as long as people can call themselves an independent contractor and get paid, they can avoid paying their child support,” she said.

The requests cover a variety of topics.

Rep. Bruce Bickford, R-Auburn, said he had submitted a bill request to reduce the size of the Legislature, but withdrew it in favor of co-sponsoring a similar bill.

“We ask schools to consolidate, in the business world they do it, why shouldn’t we?” he said.

Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Dixfield, submitted a bill to remove bald eagles from Maine’s list of threatened species.

Rep. Sawin Millett, R-Waterford, submitted a bill to allow schools to change their calendars, from five days a week to four, for example, as long as they provide equivalent instruction time.

Rep. Mike Carey, D-Lewiston, submitted a bill to select the Secretary of State and Attorney General by popular vote, rather than by a vote of the Legislature.

Rep. Nancy Smith, D-Monmouth, cautioned that a lawmaker’s priorities aren’t always reflected in the bills with their name on them.

The House chair of the Business, Research and Economic Development Committee said she’s submitted some bills that would help businesses, but preventing domestic violence would be a goal for her.

“It really struck me as I was gearing up for this session that anything I do related to economic development just doesn’t matter to people that aren’t safe,” she said. “I’m not submitting any specific legislation for it, but I’ve let people know I want to put energy toward this issue.”

For more information about legislative bills, visit http://janus.state.me.us/legis/LawMakerWeb/search.asp Click on “advance search” to search bills by specific lawmakers or subject.