Over the last 12 weeks Louisiana lawmakers covered numerous big issues, some with overwhelming support and some with large doses of controversy.

Lee Zurik

House Speaker Jim Tucker works the House floor during the session.

As the legislative session is drawing to a close lawmakers reflected on their work and felt quite a bit was accomplished.

"I think we got a lot of work done,” said Representative Austin Badon, D- New Orleans. “We've made Louisiana a better state. “We've actually made Louisiana more competitive with the surrounding states in our southern region, as well as throughout the United States."

"I feel great about our body of work,” added Representative Walker Hines, D-New Orleans. “I think it's just a matter of time in connecting my constituents with the information and all the things we've accomplished in the legislature and I think they will really respect that once we do."

But while lawmakers say big strides were made, overshadowing it all perhaps was the legislative pay raise bill, which sparked heated debate around Louisiana.

Every lawmaker Eyewitness News tried to interview on the subject declined to comment.

"This is an issue that's going to nag them for a while,” said political analyst Clancy DuBos. “They would like it to go away. I suppose their way of making it go away is not talking about it."

While legislators wouldn’t discuss the pay hike bill, they did talk about what they said were major accomplishments, including: Improvements in the appeals process for Road Home applicants, strengthening guidelines for child support payments and strides in Governor Jindal’s Workforce Development Program.

And while a lot of progress was made on many of Jindal’s goals, there were a few legislators critical of Jindal.

"We don't really see him a lot,” said Representative Juan LaFonta, D-New Orleans. “I think on some of these bills that he wants passed or killed, he needs to be there. I've talked to his staff on many occasions and I don't know in the history of Louisiana if we've ever had somebody that was this absent or this invisible during the whole process."

Overall, lawmakers say the session wasn't perfect, and there were plenty of bumps in the road, but most agree, progress is happening.

"There were plenty of things that happened that were pretty good,” said DuBos. “It's gonna take the voters a while to get over their anger over the pay raise issue, and then start looking at the good things that happened."

The session officially ends Monday.