The state legislate decided today to postpone debate on overrides of bills vetoed by Gov. Bob Ehrlich until next month, holding off a potential revival of a bill that would cap tuition increases and ensure additional funding to higher education.
Because Ehrlich called a special session of the General Assembly to debate medical malpractice reform – the first such emergency session in 12 years – vetoed bills can be put to a vote again.
But with malpractice elevated to the top priority, both the Senate and House of Delegates have used a procedural loophole to push back debate on veto overrides until Jan. 11, when the Assembly next meets. Eleven delegates were absent from the session due to previously scheduled medical procedures and international vacations. Lawmakers called for a recess rather than risk a failed vote.
Overrides require 85 votes in the House and 29 in the Senate – the tuition bill passed with 80 and 30, respectively, and would face an uphill battle even with all members of the house present, said Del. Anne Kaiser (D – Montgomery County). “If they voted on this today, it’d go down in flames,” Kaiser said.
Shortly after the Senate decided to postpone debate on vetoes, Sen. John Gianetti (D -Prince George’s County) said an override might not even be necessary. Ehrlich has said publicly that he intends to fund higher education at a higher rate next year, and Gianetti said that could suffice, depending on the details of the package.
“If there are members here that see the governor is providing funding, we might not have to override the veto,” he said. “There’s a bunch of ways this can happen.”
The tuition bill – known as House Bill 1188 – would take money from increased corporate taxes and use it to help fund higher education and cap annual tuition increases to 5 percent until 2008. The bill would bring the University System of Maryland an estimated $65 million in additional annual funds. It was passed by the state legislature last spring, but Ehrlich vetoed it in May.
Such a cap existed from 1997 through 2003 but was lifted when the state’s budget outlook soured. Tuition increases of over 20 percent followed. The Board of Regents has been awaiting Ehrlich’s budget to set next fall’s tuition, and system Chancellor Brit Kirwan previously told The Diamondback that with $35 million more in its budget, the regents could keep next fall’s tuition increase to 5 percent.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
