If the North Dakota Legislative session were a football game, this would be halftime.

After 32 days of debates, amendments, and committee hearings, legislators will be off Monday and Tuesday. They return to the Capitol on Wednesday.

When they do, they'll tackle what can be considered the session's second half.

In the first half, each chamber considered its own bills. In the second half, they'll each consider bills that originated in the opposite chamber.

Legislative leaders offered an upbeat assessment of the session's first half.

"I think we have a direction. I think the legislation is looking good," said Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem, R-Bismarck.

Stenehjem said he thinks the biggest accomplishments of the first half were a state employee pay raise, a new K-12 education funding formula and property tax relief.

Over in the House, Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, said the state's $540 million surplus has made this a unique session so far.

He said the surplus sparked a flurry of ideas on how to use it.

"I think we've had a lot of interesting and innovative ideas come through in addition to appropriations and the basics of running a government," Klemin said.

House Minority Leader Merle Boucher, D-Rolette, said he also considered the first half a success, despite the fact that many minority bills went down to defeat.

"Sometimes the very fact that you remain in the fight and hold firm on your approach is a success," Boucher said.

Here is a brief overview of some of the bills passed and rejected by the Legislature in the first half:

Passed both Houses and signed by Gov. John Hoeven:

HB 1040: A ban on protesting within 300 feet of a funeral. Passed in response to anti-gay demonstrations at military funerals by a Kansas church group.

SB 2189: An 8 percent pay raise over two years for state employees.

Passed both the House and Senate:

HB 1454: A bill to increase North Dakota's minimum wage to $7.25 an hour by 2009 if the federal government acts on a pending national minimum wage increase.

Passed the House:

HB 1015: Funding for the Department of Corrections that includes $85 million to build a new prison in Bismarck.

HB 1051: A tax cut package that includes property tax rebates, an income tax cut for married couples and a homestead property tax credit for elderly and disabled residents. It also restricts local governments from raising property taxes more than 3.5 percent in one year.

HB 1106: An increase in legislator pay from $125 to $140 a day starting with the 2009 session.

HB 1154: A bill to ban those under 14 from using tanning beds and require parental permission for those ages 14 to 18.

HB 1319: A bill to change the law regarding the use of deadly force on intruders in a home, office or car. It moves the burden of proof that the act was in self defense to the prosecution instead of the defendant.

HB 1466: A bill to ban abortion in North Dakota if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Passed the Senate:

SB 2013: A $5 million appropriation for all-day kindergarten programs.

SB 2451: A bill to prohibit high calorie sort drinks in schools.

SB 2138: A dilution of the state's law that makes it a crime for unmarried men and women to live together. The new law would only make it illegal if they try to pass themselves off as a married couple.

SB 2200: A revamp of the state's school funding formula that will increase state aid to schools by $80.5 million and shift how it's distributed.

SB 2347: A program, dubbed The North Dakota Promise, to pay college tuition for high school students in the state that meet certain academic standards.

SB 2397: A tax break for new oil production in North Dakota.

Defeated in the House:

HB 1079: A ban on smoking on the state Capitol grounds. Legislators said state facilities officials already had the power to do this.

HB 1196: A bill to ban underage drivers from using cell phones while on the road. Legislators decided the responsibilities should lie with the drivers and their parents.

HB 1323: A bill to move authority over hiring the director of Workforce Safety and Insurance agency from the WSI board to the governor. Representatives said the agency has already promised to address difficulties revealed in a recent state audit of WSI.

HB 1521: A bill to impose a two-year tuition freeze at public universities in North Dakota. Representatives decided the money would be better spent on efforts to keep graduates in the state.

Defeated in the Senate:

SB 2161: A bill to provide computerized kiosks where sex offenders would be required to periodically check in so police could keep better track of them. Senators considered the $1 million price tag too rich.

SB 2164: A bill to ban smoking in bars and truck stops. Senators decided the decision should be made by each bar owner instead of by the state government.

SB 2269: A ban on alcohol discounts, drinking games and drinking prizes after 11 p.m.

SB 2331: A shift in power to the state in the regulation of concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs. It sought to strengthen a 1999 law limiting the scope of local government's participation in the process.

SB 2400: A granting of citizenship rights to the unborn.