The Mississippi Legislature officially ended its 2016 regular session last week.

For many Mississippians, it was a relief of the fear that some other outlandishly controversial bill was going to emerge from the recesses of the capitol building.

Rather than beat up lawmakers for what they did poorly, we pause today to point out the things they simply failed to act on at all.

We had hoped the state flag issue might have been brought up for a vote, but alas the leadership to do the right thing on this issue is woefully lacking in the House and Senate.

In addition, despite lobbying by the Mississippi Economic Council, lawmakers failed to do anything substantial to remedy the state’s crumbling roads and bridges. The MEC had correctly pointed out ahead of the legislative session that the state of our transportation infrastructure is inadequate.

One solution offered was a slight increase in gasoline taxes. The “T” word is enough to send a shiver down the spines of hardline GOP lawmakers. We had hoped they would have at least brought the matter up for a vote.

Legislators also failed to act on a bill that would prohibit personal use of campaign contributions. Clearly, we know where their hearts are on that one.

Hopefully, cooler and more effective heads will reign in next year’s session.