By Matthew Mosk and John Wagner
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, March 29, 2006; B01
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.
On the Senate floor yesterday, Democrats continued to muscle through a bill to dismantle the Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities. The measure would replace four of the governor's five appointees with legislative picks.
Spawned by an increase in electric rates, the bill would reassure consumers that the panel is looking out for them, supporters said. But Senate Minority Leader J. Lowell Stoltzfus (Somerset) dismissed it as "opportunistic piling on."
The bill is expected to win final Senate passage today and then be shipped to the House.
At one point during yesterday's floor debate, Senate Minority Whip Andrew P. Harris (Baltimore County) questioned why Democrats seemed in such a rush. "Maybe it has to do with vetoes, I'm not sure," Harris said sarcastically.
The bill will be the second passed in as many weeks that seeks to curb the governor's appointment authority. Over Republican protests, the Senate passed one last week that would require Cabinet secretaries to be confirmed again at the start of a second term.
In the House, lawmakers are poised today to win final passage of another Democratic priority: a bill allowing state funding of embryonic and adult stem cell research.
Advocates say the research holds great promise for the treatment of diseases. But work with embryonic cells is controversial because it involves the destruction of a human embryo. Supporters turned back several GOP attempts yesterday to amend the bill. Any changes would have required the measure to return to the Senate before heading to Ehrlich's desk, imperiling its prospects.
One amendment that failed yesterday sought to refer to human embryos in the bill as "embryos." The Senate changed several such references to "unused material" to secure a vote needed to cut off the filibuster. The amendment was defeated, 89 to 44.
It remains unclear what Ehrlich will do with the stem cell bill if it reaches his desk. He proposed spending $20 million on stem cell research next year, including the possibility of embryonic work. But he has also said he does not believe legislation is needed.
As lawmakers pushed several bills forward yesterday, they effectively killed two other controversial measures: a bid to insert a ban on gay marriage in the state constitution and a bill to allow pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception.
