The parents pushing to have pregnant women and children protected from the potential dangers of mercury-containing vaccines were surprised to have their bill passed on the closing day of the session.

"We didn't think it would," said Kalma Wong, a parent of two autistic children who lobbied for the bill along with filmmakers Don and Julianne King, who were advocating on behalf of an autistic child of their own. "We thought we were done for the year."

Early in the session, it seemed like the measure had little hope of passing, since medical organizations had advised key legislators against restrictions.

Wong said it took a lot of education to persuade lawmakers first to hear the bill, then to understand that it wouldn't ban the vaccinations or interfere with treatment in the case of a pandemic flu.

The effort took more than showing up at hearings, and even more than phone calls, e-mails, faxes and scheduled meetings.

At one point getting a lawmaker to schedule a hearing or appointment proved so hard that Wong felt herself losing faith in the democratic system.

She and the Kings stood their ground, however, even when it meant staking out hallways in the Capitol to get a word in with a senator.

"You have to sit on people's doorsteps and wait for them. That's the only way. If they won't make an appointment, you just have to be there when they walk by," she said.

Evelyn Souza, a spokeswoman for Save Oahu's Race Track, can attest to the value of showing up.

"We've never done this before, never, but we learned a lot," Souza said. "If you're not there at the Legislature on an almost daily basis, they're not going to hear you."

Dressed in matching T-shirts, dozens of dirt-track racers came to the Capitol to protest $50 million in tax breaks for racetrack investors and urge the state to help reopen the recently closed Hawai'i Raceway Park.

With racing enthusiasts spread across O'ahu, the group managed to get testimony to lawmakers representing every district on the island.

When they realized that the House Finance chairman was from Hilo, they flew to the Big Island and collected hundreds of signatures from supporters there, as well.

While there, they also collected a tidbit of information about another lawmaker's potential financial interest in the bill, which led to it being pulled from consideration.

Throughout the session, SORT members worked to teach lawmakers about the racing community's wants and needs and were ultimately able to secure $1 million in the state budget to use toward acquiring the park.

Next session, they will continue lobbying for the state to condemn the property and turn it over to the racing community.

"It's not over yet, not by a long shot," said Souza. "We're going to persevere."

The Save Our Kaka'ako coalition was one of the session's most visible community groups, overflowing from hearing rooms, visiting offices and rallying in the atrium, sometimes blowing conch shells to bring attention to the Hawaiian community's concern with the development.

"We went to every hearing. We had many, many supporters that sent in e-mails and faxed in letters," said coalition member Michelle Matson. "A lot of people signed on to this concern."

Matson said the plans for residential high-rises along the waterfront drew thousands of community members together to oppose the development and demand to be included in future proposals.

Lawmakers approved a resolution creating an advisory group to come up with an alternative Kaka'ako development proposal, and Matson expects that the community will be included in future plans.

The key, she said, was demonstrating to lawmakers the commercial and public impact the proposed development would have in the community.

"There was extensive outcry from the citizens of Honolulu and throughout the island," she said. "Groups and individuals stepped up to speak out on this because of the precedent it would set."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.