From instituting education reform to emissions control to a stricter drunk driving policy, Gov. Mitt Romney has been busy this fall. But amidst his proposals and vetoes, some feel the governor has been too busy out of state.

Romney has traveled to Iowa, Michigan and New Hampshire on what many say is a pending presidential run, but the governor does not have to announce anything until Dec. 21 — the day he must announce if he is running for a second term as governor.

At a recent press conference, Attorney General Tom Reilly, who is expected to run as the Democratic candidate for governor, responded to questions about Romney’s out-of-state travels.

“At some point, make up your mind. Come or go. Stay. Run. Whatever. Just do your job,” Reilly said.

Romney’s office did not return calls for comment.

Two recent issues involving the governor involve his “flip-flopping” on the availability of emergency contraception in Catholic hospitals and his emissions legislation.

The governor had initially supported the state’s Department of Public Health, which ruled early last week that privately run hospitals could opt out of the requirement to provide rape victims with emergency contraception if they objected on moral or religious grounds, according to The Boston Globe last week.

Romney changed his stance a week before the law was slated to go into effect. His decision rattled many pro-life activists but was welcomed by many Massachusetts Democrats.

“I think we’re all very happy that the administration has backed off on this,” Reilly said at a recent press conference. “This administration was on a road that would have made it worse for women in that position.”

“Obviously, the governor had conflicting views, but as of yesterday he decided to ensure that all women have access to the emergency contraception, regardless of where they’re being treated,” said Kimberly Haberlin, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi. “The decision he has made is true to the intent of the legislation.”

Romney’s new clean air regulations, which do not require legislative approval, are another point of contention.

Set to take effect on Jan. 1, the emissions regulations will set carbon dioxide limits on power plants but will allow owners to continue to release pollutants into the air as long as they, “take concrete steps” to offset those emissions, such as planting trees or investing in renewable energy, according to a press release.

Announced Wednesday, environmentalists see the proposed changes as “just a way for power plant owners to buy their way out of cleaning up polluting smokestacks,” according to the Globe. They also accused the governor “of catering to business interests at the expense of the environment.”

Although many of Romney’s Democratic peers criticize his possible presidential campaign and his conservative agenda, the governor has passed bills to assure safety in the state.

Melanie’s Bill, the “toughest drunk driving legislation in the Commonwealth’s history,” will stiffen penalties for drunk driving offenses in Massachusetts and close loopholes in the legal system that allow repeat drunk drivers to get back behind the wheel, according to an Oct. 28 press release from the governor’s office.

Romney initially criticized the Legislature for passing a watered-down version of the bill, but lawmakers eventually adopted two of Romney’s three provisions that he said were essential to the law, including extending the sentence for vehicular manslaughter and allowing prosecutors to use past court records to show that a defendant is a repeat offender.

Romney’s agenda this fall also included a proposed education reform package, a plan that promised a laptop computer to every middle and high school student, an increase of more than 1,000 new math and science teachers and bonuses to the best teachers in the state.

Although many educational groups like the Boston Teacher’s Union welcomed reform, they said Romney’s plan was “wasteful” and alluded to it being a tool for the governor’s alleged presidential campaign, not necessarily to benefit Massachusetts’s students and teachers.

The governor also signed legislation that entered Massachusetts into the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision, a national system that monitors the movement of convicted criminals nationwide who have been released on probation or parole.

“Massachusetts law enforcement shouldn’t be working blindfolded,” Romney said in a press release. “By joining the compact, our law enforcement personnel will have the information they need to keep our communities safe from criminals who move to the Commonwealth.”