It's lame-duck time in Trenton

Over the next six weeks, lawmakers in Trenton will partake of a post-election bacchanal known as the "lame-duck" legislative session.

Tucked into the period after Election Day and before new elected officials take office, it's a last chance for current lawmakers to squeeze in a slew of bills, resolutions and appointments -- including things that weren't politically feasible during the first 22 months of the Legislature's two-year cycle.

That can mean anything from raising taxes to passing controversial laws to bestowing a pension-padding public job on a departing colleague or two.

The "lame-duck" nickname suggests that lawmakers lose clout as they near the end of their terms. But far from being hobbled, they are free to act without worrying about a looming election.

"It can be a crazy, crazy time," said veteran lobbyist John Torok. "There's so much legislation pending and there's such a rush to get it done. Plus, the issue of accountability is put off two years."

The menu for this year's lame duck, which begins Thursday with a few Senate committee meetings, includes bills to ban indoor smoking, provide money for stem cell research and deal with the soon-to-be-empty fund that pays for road and rail projects. The deadline is noon on Jan. 10, when all pending bills die and the 211th Legislature makes way for the 212th.

The most frenetic lame-duck sessions happen when one political party loses control in the election and crams in as much as it can before the other party takes power.

That's not the case this year. The governor's chair is changing hands, but for the first time in 44 years, it's doing so without changing parties. Acting Gov. Richard Codey and Gov.-elect Jon Corzine are both Democrats, and their party will continue to control both houses of the Legislature.

But that doesn't mean a dormant session. Until the handoff, Codey will seek to put a shine on his political legacy, while Democrats try to ease Corzine's burden by tackling tough issues before he takes office.

"There is momentum. They've got total control. Whatever they think they can do, they should try to get it done," said former Gov. Jim Florio, also a Democrat.

Corzine recognizes Democrats can do a little heavy lifting for him before he takes office in January, but is being careful not to overstep.

"We have one governor at a time," Corzine said. "I will make private expressions to leadership, but I don't want to get into the position where I'm jumping the gun on setting agendas."

Lame-duck legislative sessions have been a prime opportunity to deal with taxes. In 1977, with Democrat Brendan Byrne returning for a second term as governor, lawmakers made the state income tax permanent. In 1997, after Republican Christie Whitman was re-elected, the GOP-led Legislature increased the cigarette tax.

Carl Golden, who served in the Kean and Whitman administrations, likes to joke that the lame-duck session is where good ideas die and bad ideas become law.

Senate and Assembly members are never farther from their next re-election. Some are freed from accountability because they won't be returning, which is the case with 10 members of the General Assembly this year. Speaker Albio Sires (D-Hudson) is also giving up his leadership post.

Through the years, New Jersey lawmakers have bestowed favors in lame duck. In 1999, they voted to raise the pay of top state officials. In 2001, they gave a hefty raise to boxing commission official Gerard Gormley, brother of Sen. William Gormley (R-Atlantic).

"Historically," said Harold Hodes, a longtime adviser to governors, "it's a chance to sneak in legislation you don't want to draw attention to. You just hope people aren't paying too much attention."

Some lame-duck sessions are exceptionally raucous. In 1991, voter reaction to Florio's tax increases gave Republicans veto-proof majorities in both chambers. But before the new team took office, the outgoing Democrats pushed through 221 bills, 81 of them on the final day. Florio signed 199 into law.

"Aides were coming back from the printers with laundry carts full of paper," Golden said.

This year, resolving the Transportation Trust Fund crisis is likely to be the most contentious issue. The fund is expected to be broke by July, when the $800 million in annual gas tax receipts will have to be used to pay off old loans rather than repair roads. Raising the tax would be one solution, but as gas prices rose during the campaign for governor, Corzine took that option off the table.

"I don't think it's likely to be addressed in a fundamental way," said Republican Minority Leader Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon). And Codey said any fix will be strictly "short term," a two- or three-year bailout.

Codey will push for bonds to finance the construction of a stem cell research institute, a top issue for him. He's also trying to cut a deal to implement a ban on smoking in public places -- thus dealing with a controversial issue before Corzine takes office.

Republicans hope to do some wheeling and dealing to pass ethics reforms. It is unclear if the GOP will be able to finally push through a total ban on political contributions by government contractors.

Golden said votes on controversial issues in lame duck don't shield lawmakers who will stay in office.

"Legislators will be very edgy about voting on these things," he said. "It's a matter of degree. It's easier now than in March, sure. But it's still going to come back and haunt people ... they're still going have to defend that vote."

Deborah Howlett covers politics and state government. She may be reached at (609) 989-0273 or dhowlett@starledger.com.