Democrat-Led House Overrides Three Vetoes

Contested Bills Will Head to Senate Tomorrow

The Maryland House of Delegates voted in rapid-fire succession yesterday to pass three high-priority Democratic bills that had been vetoed by Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. less than 24 hours earlier.

The override votes, all of which fell largely along party lines, moved to restore bills that would stop a state seizure of 11 public schools in Baltimore, establish rules for early voting in the fall elections and force Ehrlich's campaign finance chairman to choose between his fundraising role and his seat on the public university system's board of regents.

The Democrat-led Senate is set to take up the measures -- and as many as five other vetoed bills -- tomorrow, bringing a bitterly partisan, election-year legislative session to an explosive close.

"Sometimes it feels like Groundhog Day around here," House Minority Whip Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert) said in frustration amid yesterday's debate, referring to a string of override votes during the session's opening days in January. "We started out this session doing this, and we're winding up doing this."

Democrats defended each of the votes on policy grounds, but Ehrlich (R) called the legislature's actions "an outbreak of not just partisanship but a strong tilt to the left by the Democratic Party."

The most emotional debate, touching on issues of class and race, came over the legislature's attempt to block the State Board of Education's intervention into the management of 11 low-performing middle schools and high schools in Baltimore.

Republicans argued that the 97 to 42 vote to derail the move would only hurt the students, whose test scores are among the lowest in the state. But Baltimore delegates argued that the state action was a slap at a system that has been historically underfunded and subjected to other heavy-handed, paralyzing actions by the state.

"Don't tell me you love my children more than I do," Del. Clarence Davis (D-Baltimore) said during an impassioned speech prompted by a Cecil County delegate's suggestion that his jurisdiction never would have let its schools decline to the degree Baltimore has.

The remark provoked boos from other members, forcing House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) to bang his gavel repeatedly to restore order.

Other Democrats said they were disturbed that the action occurred with no warning. Del. Doyle L. Niemann (D-Prince George's) said he hoped the override would send a message to State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, who proposed the intervention: "You've got to work with people and not dictate what people do."

The vote is expected to be tighter in the Senate, where Ehrlich has been aggressively lobbying Democrats to switch sides. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) predicted that the override would succeed, suggesting that the seizure was an attempt to embarrass Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.

"It's such a partisan strike at O'Malley," Miller said. "It smacks of political opportunism."

Ehrlich said that if the Senate overturns his veto, "I'm not going to be angry. I'm going to be embarrassed for the Democratic leadership."

The House voted 93 to 45 to override the governor's veto of a bill providing guidelines for early voting this year. The measure spells out 21 addresses where polls must be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week leading up to Election Day. Voters from other precincts also can vote at those spots.

Democrats said that the measure was designed to make voting more convenient in the state's most populous communities. But echoing arguments of GOP delegates, Ehrlich said he was "especially disturbed" that the committee that picked early-voting sites did not include any Republicans.

"As a result, these locations were placed in areas heavily populated by Democrats rather than in ones more convenient or centrally located to all residents," Ehrlich said. Of the 21 designated precincts, voters in 12 favored Democratic candidate John Kerry in greater margins than he received in the 2004 election, and nine favored President Bush with greater margins.

O'Donnell, the minority whip, said a third bill overridden yesterday was another "partisan swipe at the governor." The bill, which passed 88 to 49, prohibits members of the University System of Maryland's board of regents from political fundraising.

The measure was passed after several ethics concerns were raised by the activities of two university trustees. The bill would force Ehrlich's chief campaign fundraiser, Richard Hug, to choose between his political activity and his seat on the board.

Del. Maggie McIntosh (D-Baltimore) said the bill was good policy, regardless of who sits in the governor's office.

Debate over two other vetoed bills is expected to start in the Senate tomorrow. One would strengthen state employees' collective bargaining power, and the other would require Cabinet appointees to be reconfirmed if a governor is reelected.

Not raised for debate yesterday were three bills Ehrlich vetoed that dealt with the looming electricity rate increases. The fate of those bills probably will depend on the outcome of a meeting between Ehrlich and top legislators tomorrow. A deal is still emerging that could include as much as $600 million over a 10-year-period that Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. would dedicate to dropping increases from 72 percent to 15 percent for at least one year.

But Ehrlich said yesterday that the amount those rates would go up after the first two years remained somewhat in flux. He also said any deal reached would have to include the demise of legislation that would disband the current regulatory board, the Public Service Commission.

Miller and Busch seemed less optimistic about the negotiations. Busch would not rule out an extended session or special session if an agreement is not reached.

"Monday's going to be a very political day," Miller predicted.