AUGUSTA – The 120th Legislature, hampered by a $300 million shortfall that greeted lawmakers upon arrival in January, was unable to deliver on promises to make major strides in domestic violence and in expansion of health care.

When legislators convened seven months and 16 days ago, plans were announced for a $31 million expansion of health care and a $10 million plan to combat domestic violence, damned as “Public Enemy Number One” by Gov. Angus King. When the Legislature finally adjourned at about 1:30 a.m. Friday, those programs had suffered drastic cuts.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the money-starved session was that the pet project of King, the $50 million technology fund, survived at all. Virtually every day, at least one legislator suggested that the laptop fund be raided to fund whatever project was under discussion. The Part One budget took $20 million from the fund, plus annual accrued interest, but the remaining $30 million survived the session unscathed.

King’s budget also survived, virtually intact, which came as little surprise to the chief executive. “They had to do everything we did. The Legislature went through many of the thought processes we did, and faced the same realities we did. So it’s not surprising they arrived at much the same place,” King said.

LD 1303, the pet project of House Speaker Michael Saxl, sought $31 million over two years to expand Medicaid coverage to working families, fund low-cost cancer drugs for elderly patients and fund rural health care centers. Saxl called his plan “chicken soup” for the Maine worker. But Sanford Republican Rep. David E. Bowles said the Saxl soup “has no meat, is watery and thin.”

On Thursday, the bill passed the House by 80-34 and the Senate by 27-6. But passing a bill at the State House is one thing. Finding the money is another.

King balked at the financing plan, based partially on the elimination of a traditional business tax write-off program. The remaining funds came from a 6-cent tax on cigarettes. Rather than risk a veto that would have been almost impossible to override, supporters scaled back the plan to a level of $9 million over two years.

The write-off program survived.

Eliminated from the health care program was a provision to provide reduced-cost medication to low-income elderly cancer patients and a provision to include the self-employed under Medicaid coverage. Aid to rural health centers was cut from $4 million over two years to $775,000.

Saxl said the remaining program “is much more scaled down than I wanted or that Maine can afford. But it is an important first step.” He was bitterly disappointed that the cancer drug provision was eliminated. “You mean we cannot provide medication for a 65-year-old woman dying of breast cancer? We will bring that back. We are not done yet,” he said.

House Minority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Raymond, said Friday: “I don’t think we did a whole lot for health care. We certainly didn’t do anything for the working person who pays their own health insurance premium. We have raised that premium by several hundred dollars by the mandates we passed,” he said.

Bruno predicted financial problems when legislators return in January because of funding programs approved during the session. “I have a big concern that we will face a big hole in January. What other taxes can we raise? Business taxes? Income taxes? We will not go there. Republicans will not support additional tax increases,” Bruno said.

Despite overwhelming support from both sides of the aisle, a comprehensive program to combat domestic abuse also suffered severe cuts in the closing hours of the session.

LD 524 was sponsored by House Majority Leader Patrick Colwell, D-Gardiner, and sought $10 million for domestic violence education, direct services and intervention programs. “That’s a lot of money, but domestic violence is a huge problem in Maine,” Colwell said.

The bill passed the House by a lopsided 138-6 after highly emotional testimony, which included personal experience of domestic abuse from Reps. Julie O’Brien of Augusta and Pat Blanchette of Bangor. The Senate passed the bill without a formal vote. But by the time the financial reality had set in, the program was scaled back to about $5 million for the next two years.

Despite the cuts, Saxl said the program will double current funding levels. “I think we made tremendous progress on domestic violence. That will be an ongoing process and we will be back for additional funds in the next session,” he said.

Funding sources will be just as hard to find in January as they are now, Bruno said. He said the tax level in Maine has reached the saturation point and the increases to meals and cigarette taxes passed during this session will hurt the average Maine resident.

“The answer to the problem is decreased spending. But no one seems to have the stomach to do that,” Bruno said.