When this year’s session of the General Assembly began in January, we pondered whether lawmakers would address issues of substance or, as they often do, pander to election-year politics with bills aimed at currying favor with certain groups of voters. We got our answer, and it came as little surprise to see a few hot-button topics dominate the session’s debate. That continued to do so after the gavel dropped over the fate of a few key bills, two in particular.