Every governor has a so-called “legacy” issue. It’s that one thing, whether a governor remains or becomes popular during his term, that long outlasts any admiration or the opposite the public may have for its top executive.

Cheers to Gov. Paul LePage for making clear what his would be during his first State of the State address earlier this week.

While LePage spoke with conviction and passion on a number of issues, none was more pronounced or personal than his proposal to “stamp out” domestic violence in Maine.

“I am sad to say that my childhood memories are ravaged with domestic violence,” LePage said. “Those memories are not pleasant; but I share my past to help end domestic abuse today.”

Domestic violence regularly accounts for 50 percent of Maine homicides. Often, the perpetrators have already had legal actions, including restraint warrants, placed against them. Some have even been arrested on domestic violence assault charges but are out on bail.

LePage has proposed that those charged with domestic violence first see a district court judge before bail can be set. This simple change could dramatically protect would-be repeat victims by allowing a thorough review of a suspect’s past behavior before they are freed.

When it comes to protecting children and others from the rage of a violent criminal, a judge — not a bail commissioner — should make the call.

Cheers to LePage for calling for a simple but effective solution that, once in place, will save lives. Cheers also to LePage for boldly challenging all men, the vast majority of those convicted for domestic violence, to step up and do all they can to rout this tragic and costly problem from our communities.

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Cheers to the Maine Department of Corrections for changing its decades-old visitation hours. The DOC is adding some evening-hour visitations to better accommodate family members who work during the day.

While we know many will have little sympathy for those serving sentences in prison, we see the importance in allowing the families — usually innocent of any crime themselves — of those inmates to have easier contact with their loved ones.

We also know that an inmate with close connections and ties to a family that cares about him or her will have a better chance of not re-offending once released. Cheers to the DOC for considering these issues and being flexible in how it serves the families of those serving time.

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Cheers to the University of Maine System board of trustees for voting unanimously this week to freeze in-state student tuition and fees in 2012.

While we would like to see tuition and fees go the other way, the board’s decision to curb its practice of overburdening working Maine families with tuition increases many can no longer afford is still welcome.

We understand that university system funding from the Legislature has not fully kept pace with system costs, but the practice of making up the difference on the backs of students must end.

Jeers to the trustees for taking so long to recognize this ongoing disparity. Average tuition has gone from $275 a year in 1969 to $7,628 in 2012, an increase nearly seven times the rate of inflation for the same period.

While the system’s public relations team put a cheery spin on the tuition hold as the “lowest increase in 25 years,” the real story is it’s the first time in a quarter-century that the trustees have given working-class students and families a break.

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The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and editorial board.