Lawmaking bodies around the country found themselves in an unaccustomed state as business began for a 2022 session. They were in the money, due largely to economic recovery and enormous infusions of federal dollars.

That aid came in the form of stimulus packages containing flexible funding to help state and local governments recoup losses from the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, state surpluses have targeted the gamut of government services, from small business relief to public health.

Hawaii’s lawmakers opted to make the largest investment in addressing some very longstanding needs. Given that this windfall will not come again, it makes sense to make real progress on long-stalled priorities. From allotting $350 million for the Aloha Stadium project to $200 million for an expansion of pre-kindergarten programs, numerous back-burnered initiatives made big gains.

The chief complaint about the 2022 session is more about the process than the product. There is still work to be done on avoiding last-minute changes that don’t get the full measure of public input. And there’s still too much micromanaging of state departments and agencies, which adds to government inefficiency.

That said, among various initiatives aimed to help Hawaii’s needy, the marquee item from the priority list is a bold step in the right direction: $1 billion total for affordable housing. If enacted by Gov. David Ige, this will include $300 million for the Rental Housing Revolving Fund, targeting housing for families earning 60-100% of the area median income.

The lion’s share, $600 million, is set aside for Department of Hawaiian Home Lands developments and housing aid for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1921, about 28,000 of whom have languished on the waiting list for years.

It was, in fact, a banner year for Hawaiians, with legislators taking the opportunity to address other grievances. Beneficiaries who sued the state over DHHL delinquency in delivering homesteads are appropriated more than $335 million to settle the case.

Further, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will get $21.5 million annually, a boost in its share of revenue from ceded lands, the former Hawaiian kingdom and crown lands on which OHA has a claim, and a lump sum of $64 million for back payments.

The most controversial piece is the reorganization in land-management governance of the Mauna Kea summit, where the University of Hawaii’s oversight of astronomy facilities has long drawn fire from many in the Hawaiian community. House Bill 2024 passed to transfer that governance from UH to a newly constituted authority that would give Hawaiians more of a voice. But it’s concerning, because stakeholders from the scientific community would end up with less of a voice.

This is an effort to defuse some of the tension that has erupted over astronomy in general and the planned Thirty Meter Telescope project in particular. All the same, that aim is anything but assured; strengthening Hawaiian and environmental oversight within the existing structure would pose less of a risk.

The final version of HB 2024 acknowledges astronomy as a state policy and provides funds for educational programs, but it introduces too much uncertainty into the future of a research enterprise that is too important for Hawaii to lose.

Officials of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said the bill “could result in worse management” of Mauna Kea. UH added a constitutional question — which agency has responsibility for land management — for Gov. David Ige to consider before making his decision to sign into law or to veto.

UH and the Hawaii Tourism Authority also have been at odds with lawmakers over their budgets. Of course, lawmakers have a key role in providing oversight on the broad sweep of budgetary matters, but there was simply too much line-item meddling on UH positions and eleventh-hour drama over whether HTA would be funded at all.

Both of these institutions have their own governing boards that should have more custody over planning and implementation.

Further, HTA funding legislation was batted around before HB 1147 was amended — after deadline — to include its operating funds. The courts have warned lawmakers against “gut and replace” bill maneuvers to get around the regular order and public review rules, but it hasn’t taken hold, apparently.

However, many actions this session did advance the interest of those most in need. Among them: rebates of at least $100 to taxpayers, replenishment of the state’s rainy-day and unemployment funds, raising the minimum wage to $18 by 2028, expanding and making permanent the refundable earned income tax credit.

Due to reapportionment, all 76 seats of Hawaii’s Legislature are up this election year, and incumbents seeking to return can point to all the largess of the past session.

But they are also responsible for seeing that an unprecedented surplus has not been wasted, which will be a principal duty of those tapped to come back in January.