Assembly Returning To Where It Began

Veto Votes Likely In Annapolis Again

Maryland lawmakers are making it increasingly likely that the 2006 session will end much as it began -- with an explosive succession of vetoes and override votes that highlight the deep partisan divide in Annapolis.

Democrats controlling the General Assembly pushed ahead bills yesterday that would curtail the governor's appointing powers, alter the rules for upcoming elections and allow state spending on stem cell research, all measures that could prompt vetoes from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R).

Final passage of those and other divisive proposals could come today, beating a self-imposed Friday deadline that lawmakers said would force the governor to act on the bills before the General Assembly adjourns April 10. If the legislature waits any longer, the governor could benefit from a quirk in Maryland law that makes his election-year veto safe from override.

In moving now, though, leaders have set the stage for an ugly partisan clash likely to resemble the poisonous battles that dominated the first weeks of this year's session, when lawmakers overcame Ehrlich's vetoes on measures that raise the minimum wage and effectively force Wal-Mart to spend more on employee health benefits.

"It's like the session is swallowing its tail," said Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Montgomery). "We started with veto overrides, and we're going to end up with veto overrides."

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle said yesterday that a partisan fight at the end of session would set the stage for the fall election, when the governor and entire General Assembly are on the ballot. Republicans argued that it would leave the lasting image of a Democrat-controlled legislature intent on thwarting the will of the governor.

"It's going to remind voters that this General Assembly only wants to play partisan games," said House Republican whip Anthony J. O'Donnell (Calvert).

Democrats contend it would paint a picture of a governor who has failed to lead and would help clarify for voters the serious policy differences between the two parties.

"What the people will see is what the governor has shown them time and time again -- that he is unwilling to compromise or provide any guidance or leadership," said House Democratic whip Anthony G. Brown (Prince George's), who is Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley's running mate in a bid to challenge Ehrlich.

The other Democratic candidate for governor, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, also criticized the "political gridlock" in Annapolis.

Not all the bills that are likely to face vetoes are policy oriented. One, for instance, would place early voting centers in jurisdictions that happen to be dominated by Democrats. Another would prohibit political fundraising by members of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents -- who include the man who chairs Ehrlich's campaign fundraising effort.

But policy differences exist over stem cell research and handling of the looming electricity rate crisis.