With session wrapped up, contentious issues are ahead

Gay marriage and death penalty lobbyists will be back in fray come January — but might hit deaf ears

‘‘A lot of folks have had to make some tough votes and the willingness to do more is going to wane,” said Del. Barry Glassman (R-Dist. 35A) of Churchville.

Although the dust has barely settled from the special session, advocates for the hot-button issues aren’t backing down.

‘‘The question of whether or not we’re able to pass the bill in 2008 is open-ended right now and there are some major obstacles standing in our way, but we have no doubt that marriage equality will happen in Maryland,” said Dan Furmansky, executive director of Equality Maryland. ‘‘Eventually, all of the obstructions will fall by the wayside, whether it’s this year or in 2009 or 2010. We won’t go away.”

While resolving the deficit now lightens the workload for 2008, Furmansky conceded that votes on taxes and slots may have expended too much political capital for some lawmakers.

‘‘The question is whether there will be concern that implementing taxes will create ire amongst the swing voters of the state and therefore cripple the General Assembly from moving forward on other issues that might tilt more to the left,” he said.

The same sentiment jeopardizes efforts to repeal the state’s capital punishment statute.

‘‘My sense is this is still something that the governor is committed to seeing done, and he quite rightly sees it as something that will only advance public safety in Maryland,” said Jane M. Henderson, executive director of Maryland Citizens Against State Executions. ‘‘It frees up resources to put money where we need it, to put more police on the street and more correctional officers in prisons.”

There are enough votes in the House to pass a repeal bill, she said. The movement gained a vote across the hall with the appointment this summer of Sen. Nancy J. King (D-Dist. 39) of Montgomery Village. Her predecessor, former senator Patrick J. Hogan, favored the death penalty.

‘‘That puts us just a few votes away in the Senate,” Henderson said.

What role Gov. Martin O’Malley plays in the death penalty debate has not yet been carved out, said his press secretary Rick Abbruzzese.

Last year, O’Malley (D) testified in favor of a repeal, but the bill died in committee. The state’s high court suspended executions in December over concerns that death penalty procedures were never subject to public review.

The O’Malley administration has not crafted a formal legislative agenda, but it plans to emphasize initiatives in four areas: alternative energy, health care, juvenile justice and crime prevention.

The Maryland Energy Administration is developing long-term strategies to enhance grid reliability, electricity affordability and energy efficiency. One option is boosting the percentage of renewable energy production, which is set to peak at 9.5 percent in 2022, said MEA chief of staff Michael M. Li.

State health officials want to strengthen the Medicaid program and expand the use of information technology between caregivers and patients that will help detect and treat illnesses.

State Health Secretary John M. Colmers also wants to resolve the troubled Prince George’s Hospital System’s problems to ensure no disruptions in the delivery of care. ‘‘If that health system were to fail, it would have profound ripple effects not only in that community but across the state,” he said.

The General Assembly this week approved spending $50 million to stabilize the ailing system, contingent upon several requirements that the hospital operator and county government must meet.

Juvenile services officials are focusing on its extensive capital needs. Secretary Donald W. DeVore is eyeing more money for treatment centers so the state can rehabilitate at-risk youth in Maryland rather than sending them out of state because the state doesn’t have room enough for them.

‘‘It’s expensive, it’s ineffective and there’s a real emphasis in my department on creating in-state resources for kids,” he said, noting that the 48-bed Victor Cullen Academy in Sabillasville is the state’s only residential youth treatment facility.

The department also wants to bolster aid for community services, crime prevention, job creation and security.

The Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention may draft legislation that would require DNA testing upon arrest for certain crimes rather than upon conviction as is now the law, said director Kristen M. Mahoney. It will also look at ways to better trace firearms and target illegal weapons.

Meanwhile, Republicans are hoping O’Malley heeds the legislature’s recommendation to cut planned spending increases and derail any measures that would cost the state more.

‘‘We’re just concerned about people’s wallets and pocketbooks because [Democrats] are going to have 90 days to take more money from people,” said Maryland Republican Party Executive Director John Flynn.

He questioned whether O’Malley is going to spend more time during the 90-day session in Annapolis or on the campaign trail for Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.)

Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. will once again sponsor a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

‘‘If it’s important enough for us to send the slots bill to referendum, I think it’s equally important to send the issue of marriage between a man and a woman to the voters for a final decision, as well,” said Dwyer (R-Dist. 31) of Glen Burnie.

He predicted marriage equality would not go far this year because it would be too damaging to Democrats who just approved tax hikes and gambling legislation.

House Minority Whip Christopher B. Shank (R-Dist. 2B) of Hagerstown agrees. ‘‘I think the political capital for the entire four-year term is about spent between the taxes and slots.”

Resolving the deficit and addressing both environmental and health care during the special session will allow new issues to percolate or old ones to be revisited.

Legislators may take up Real ID, child sex predators, drug prevention and treatment, mental health, victims’ rights, disability, energy efficiency, global warming and more.

There’s also some unfinished business from the special session, including establishing policy guidelines for the Chesapeake Bay 2010 Trust Fund.

Plus, balancing the state budget consumes every session.

A full load, to be sure, mused Senate Minority Leader David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market.

‘‘You’ll see all sorts of mud thrown at the walls. How much of it sticks remains to be seen.”