ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - The Maryland House of Delegates voted Thursday to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of a bill to create a scoring system to rank transportation projects in the state’s funding process.
The Democrat-controlled House voted 88-52 to override the Republican governor’s veto, three more than the three-fifths vote needed. The Senate also would need a three-fifths vote to override the veto, and that vote could take place Friday.
The bill has been a contentious one this session. Democrats who lead the General Assembly made the measure a priority, after the Republican governor decided last year shortly after the legislative session ended to scrap plans for a light rail project in Baltimore and steer funding to transportation projects throughout the state.
While the bill wouldn’t prevent the governor from funding a project with a lower score than another, it would require an explanation for the decision.
“We need this legislation because we need more transparency in the decision-making process,” said Del. Brooke Lierman, D-Baltimore.
But opponents say the bill is simply political retribution for Hogan’s transportation decisions. They say the process has worked well before, and Democrats didn’t complain about it when a Democratic governor was making the decisions.
Del. Haven Shoemaker, R-Carroll, said it was one of about 30 bills passed by the legislature to take power away from the governor this year. He said the voters, not legislators, should decide whether Hogan is using his authority properly.
“If they don’t like his priorities on tax policy, on fees, on transportation spending, on appointments, the people will ultimately hold him to account, and it shouldn’t be up to us to insinuate ourselves into that process and consistently try to change the rules,” Shoemaker said. “As the kids say: don’t hate the player, hate the game, and don’t change the rules of the game in the middle of it.”
The House also voted to override a veto of a bill to change the composition of a commission that nominates members of the Anne Arundel County school board.
Democrats hold a supermajority in both chambers, meaning they can override Hogan’s vetoes if they stick together. Earlier this session, the General Assembly also overrode several vetoes from last year, including a veto of a bill allowing felons to vote while on parole and probation.
The legislative session ends Monday at midnight. Bills important to Democratic lawmakers this session have been fast-tracked so there’s enough time for an override in the event that Hogan vetoes them. Hogan vetoed two bills passed this session and let more than 20 bills become law without his signature.
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