Gladden said it might be necessary to bypass the committee and petition the bill directly to the Senate floor - though she distanced herself from the rare and controversial parliamentary move that would subvert the power of the leadership structure controlled by Miller.
"It's disrespectful of the process," Gladden said. "I'd have to really, really give that some thought."
Sen. James Brochin, a Baltimore County Democrat, challenged death penalty opponents to consider "bucking leadership" with such a move. He has been considered a swing vote in the past but said yesterday that he remains steadfast in his support for the death penalty.
"We'll hold a hearing and see where it goes from there," said Sen. Brian E. Frosh, a Montgomery County Democrat and chairman of the judicial committee. "The issue isn't going away. The question is, will the vote change?"
Meanwhile, it could be months before Maryland resumes executions.
The O'Malley administration is expected to complete protocols for lethal injections soon to comply with a court ruling that found the steps used to put a condemned prisoner to death were improperly developed. But those protocols must be approved by a separate legislative committee.
Sen. Paul G. Pinsky, a Prince George's Democrat and the administrative committee's co-chairman, said yesterday that he would likely delay a decision on the protocols until after the 90-day legislative session in case a repeal wins passage.
