One of my favorite things about being a member of the Maine Legislature is that we’re not Congress — with its reputation for inaction and missed opportunities.

It’s what we’ve come to expect at the federal level, even if we like our own U.S. senators and representatives.

But here in Maine, at the state level, we have a long tradition of working together. Our citizen legislature has always beaten Congress hands down when it comes to staying at the table until something gets done — even if it isn’t perfect.

And yet, as I’ve gone door-to-door to meet with constituents, that’s not the perception I’m hearing of Augusta anymore. In fact, many have expressed to me their general frustration about gridlock. Some of the things I’ve heard over the last few months are, “You guys never work together,” or “How come they never get anything done up there?”

To be honest, there have been moments when I’ve felt the same way – wondering if we’ve begun to follow Washington off the partisan cliff. Over the last few years there have been a number of high-profile compromises that either fell apart or didn’t survive a veto: the solar reform bill, a deal to honor voter-approved land conservation bonds and protect future bonds from politics, a modest expansion of health care coverage, a compromise on the minimum wage and, of course, multiple tax code overhauls that would have boosted the middle class.

I look back on those difficult moments, and I remember that they were the exception and not the rule. Over the past two years, we have passed 621 bills into law, many of them unanimously. We also rejected hundreds of bad bills unanimously, and Republicans and Democrats overrode a record 164 vetoes together. All of this required a thoughtful assessment of facts and talking to one another to achieve consensus.

During my term, which started in December of 2014, I co-sponsored nine bills from both Democrats and Republicans that eventually became law.

One of those successes expanded access to tax exemptions on student loan debt, making college more affordable for working Mainers. Another banned plastic microbeads, which were putting Maine’s fishermen in economic danger and also ending up on our dinner plates.

Together we enacted a small sales tax exemption for veterans organizations like the American Legion that actively work with those suffering from PTSD – allowing more of the money they raise to go directly to their community service work.

Additionally, we ended the practice of shackling pregnant prisoners, allowed equipment rental businesses to sell insurance for their products and began development of a plan to help those with disabilities save more money in banks.

We also passed a senior housing bond that was approved by the voters and could one day help weatherize homes and provide affordable housing all around the state for older Mainers who want to remain in their communities and age with dignity.

Most people haven’t seen many of these stats before, and the reason why is the same reason you’ve also never seen a headline reading “State lawmakers mostly get along, do their work.” Conflict and the occasional outburst are far more attractive things to cover and usually considered more newsworthy than the routine bipartisan back-and-forth of a committee hearing.

That’s what the reality is most of the time: slow, steady and imperfect. It’s people doing their homework, listening to others and making an honest effort to get it right – just like most families in Maine. If we can bring more of that slow-and-steady to the big name issues, we will all be a lot better off.

If you have questions about anything in this column or anything else related to state government, I hope you will call me at 729-4018 or e-mail me at denise.tepler@legislature.maine.gov. My service to our community comes before any partisan considerations, and it continues to be a great honor and a true pleasure to serve as your state representative.

Rep. Denise Tepler is serving her first term in the Maine House and represents all of Topsham.