Staff Writer

Del. Dereck E. Davis, chief House sponsor of the minimum wage hike that Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. vetoed last month, says he would be content to let the veto stand.

That's because Davis is more interested in passing tougher legislation next year to raise the minimum wage to $7.15, a dollar above the vetoed wage proposal and two dollars above the federal minimum.

Davis (D-Dist. 25) of Upper Marlboro, who chairs the Economic Matters Committee, said he is still consulting with House Speaker Michael E. Busch and other legislative leaders about how to respond to the veto. But given the fact that Davis and other proponents settled on $6.15 as a compromise to appease conservative interests, the delegate said he would prefer to abandon that plan now.

"I wanted to put in something more palatable to the governor," Davis said. "But now, to me, it's apparent that this wasn't about practicality for the governor. This was philosophical. If he is philosophically opposed to any increase, I might as well go ahead and do what I feel is appropriate and correct, and not worry about placating anyone."

Davis' statements come 10 days after the Ehrlich administration announced it would close the enforcement office for minimum wage, a decision the governor reversed after protests from Busch (D-Dist. 30) of Annapolis and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach. Davis said he came to his conclusion about Ehrlich's veto before that controversy, but he called the governor's handling of the enforcement troubling.

"If the governor is not committed to it, then the resources won't be there to enforce the laws," Davis said. "I'm not sure we've gained anything" from Ehrlich's reversal.

Ehrlich (R) said he would enforce wage laws with or without an enforcement office. As for Davis' comments regarding the minimum wage veto, Ehrlich spokesman Henry P. Fawell said the timing is ironic.

"It comes one month after the creation of the Democratic Party's business caucus, yet we're seeing their true colors," Fawell said. "Governor Ehrlich will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with small-business owners in Maryland."

With the national minimum wage frozen at $5.15 since 1997, 15 states and Washington, D.C., have increased their minimum wage in recent years. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 states considered bills this year that would have raised theirs.

Davis' comments about sustaining the veto and pursuing a $7.15 minimum met with mixed reaction.

"I also believe we should sustain the governor's veto -- albeit for different reasons," said House Minority Whip Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby.

O'Donnell, who opposed the wage hike, said an even greater hike could face problems in the House.

"My opposition to raising the minimum wage at the state level is, I believe it puts us at a competitive disadvantage with other states," he said. "If it is going to be done, it should be done at the federal government so no state is put at a prohibitive disadvantage."

Asked about a minimum wage strategy, Busch said it remains unclear what tack the Democrats will take.

"What is intriguing is the possibility that we might put that on referendum," he said.

Busch said he is not proposing a referendum yet, but the idea is making the rounds in Annapolis.

Overriding a veto and proposing a constitutional amendment requires the same number of votes, Busch noted -- 85 in the House, 29 in the Senate. That would put the issue onto the November ballot, and it might include an inflationary escalator so legislators do not have to keep revisiting the issue.

Tom Hucker, executive director of Progressive Maryland, an activist organization that supported this year's wage bill, said an increase to $7.15 is overdue. But Hucker also said he does not want to see the legislature give up the override campaign.

"I don't see why they can't do both," he said. "If we let the chance of override go and the votes aren't there for $7.15, we wouldn't have anything."

One way or another, Busch said, raising the minimum wage will help Marylanders.

"As long as [businesses] are importing migrant workers who will take $5.15 an hour, there is no incentive for employers to raise it to a level to attract Marylanders," he said.

Staff Writer Steven T. Dennis contributed to this report.