Compromises Play Key Role in O'Malley Legislative Wins

O'Malley and his aides said they have been willing to accommodate members of a diverse 188-member legislature to advance the administration's agenda during the two annual sessions since O'Malley took office and in the special session on the state's finances.

"The fact that we had to make some compromises to get things done is just a reflection of the legislative process," O'Malley said.

There was perhaps no greater give-and-take with lawmakers this session than on the DNA bill.

Under current policy, the state takes DNA samples from people convicted of violent crimes and tries to match them with clues from unsolved crimes. At the outset of the session, O'Malley proposed following the lead of Virginia and 10 other states that have started taking DNA samples from people under arrest. The idea is to create a larger database that will help solve more cold cases.

The proposal was opposed by the Legislative Black Caucus, which said O'Malley wanted to cast the net too wide. Sen. Lisa A. Gladden (D-Baltimore) said the proposal was an attempt "to use technology to ensnare people."

After dozens of conversations among O'Malley, his aides and lawmakers, a compromise was reached that includes allowing the bill to expire in five years. That would give the legislature an opportunity to evaluate whether the policy had been successful before allowing it to continue.

The bill cleared both chambers Monday, 130 to 9 in the House and 33 to 10 in the Senate.

O'Malley's speed camera bill was among the casualties of the final day. The bill would have authorized counties to use speed cameras in school zones, residential neighborhoods and work areas. The cameras are now allowed only in Montgomery County.

Negotiators finished reconciling differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill Monday afternoon, and copies arrived in the chambers in time for passage, lawmakers said. But Miller said he feared that a Republican-led filibuster of the legislation could endanger other bills, so he focused on them first.

O'Malley told reporters that he remains uncertain about why time ran out on the speed camera bill. With traffic fatalities on the rise, he said, "I'm sure the bill will be back next year."

The governor's staff had apparently been confident of passage. The bill was listed in the public safety section of a list of administration accomplishments distributed to reporters yesterday.

Among the legislation O'Malley signed was the last of four bills he proposed that seek to stem the foreclosure crisis. The bills make the most egregious mortgage schemes subject to criminal prosecution; extend the foreclosure timetable from 15 to 150 days; and ban prepayment penalties and transactions in which homeowners are tricked into signing over their houses to third parties.

O'Malley's plan to compensate for lost revenue from the repealed computer services tax includes a $50 million cut in funding for transportation projects.

Given that lawmakers increased spending on projects by more than $400 million a year during the special session, O'Malley said he considered the loss of $50 million a reasonable compromise.

"I look at it as eight steps forward, one step back," he said.