Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller groused Monday as the chamber heard bills and referred them to committees. The Senate had only read around 80 bills so far, and Miller reminded the body’s members that there are usually around 1000 introduced by Session’s end.

“We’ve got to get these bills into the hopper so we can have the hearings,” he said. Miller also noted that bills from various government agencies had not been filed before the session as they usually are.

So in interest of picking up the pace, two committee chairmen stepped up to the challenge. And the race was on.

The Senate Finance and Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee challenged each other to be the first to vote a bill out of committee.

Finance Chairman Thomas “Mac” Middleton, said he intended to hurry up in order to again beat Judicial Proceedings to the punch.

Both had 1 p.m. hearings and both finished with a favorable report, which clears the way for a second reading on the Senate floor. The Finance Committee worked through a bill that extends the time that a task force on the state’s boating industry has to report to Gov. Martin O’Malley. The Judicial Proceedings Committee signed off on some changes to the state’s criminal procedure code.

No word yet on exactly what time the two votes were actually taken.