HARRISBURG — A Senate Republican effort to override spending items vetoed by Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell failed Wednesday, ensuring Pennsylvania's money-starved social safety net will keep fraying as the state began the eighth week of a budget stalemate.

In what Democrats labeled a political stunt, the Senate's Republican majority sought to push through money for college tuition grants and homeless shelters, as well as services for veterans, mentally retarded and victims of rape and domestic violence.

The votes on each were 30-19, three votes short of the two-thirds count necessary to override a gubernatorial veto. The votes were nearly along partisan lines, as just one Democrat — Sen. Lisa Boscola of Northampton County — crossed party lines to defy Rendell.

Debate ended at 7 p.m., following four hours of partisans striving to demonstrate who cares more about the needy and neglected, and whose strategy in the budget standoff is more politically motivated.

The debate was a striking and public display of partisanship as legislators from both parties pin their hopes on closed-door talks between top negotiators to produce a compromise on how to resolve a multibillion-dollar revenue shortfall.

At one point, the debate became unusually pointed and personal, as Sen. Jane Orie, R-Allegheny, dared Democrats to vote against aid for rape and domestic violence services, saying they would revictimize victims when the services close for want of funding.

"This vote, in some instances, is a question of life and death for victims across Pennsylvania," Orie said during floor debate, and added: "In essence, you are putting victims across this commonwealth in great danger, great peril, great harm."

Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, rebutted Orie's argument, accusing Republicans of hypocrisy because they would cut funding to social services, such as crime prevention and child welfare, that Democrats see as crucial before raising taxes.

"I find it ironic that my good friends on the other side of the aisle are waxing eloquent about the importance of these social safety programs," Leach said. "I think we have to be very careful when we get up and say that some people are insensitive to victims of crime."

For now, state government is operating on a $12.8 billion budget Rendell signed earlier this month, which ensures that paychecks will flow to tens of thousands of state employees, state prisons and parks remain open and health care for the poor, disabled and elderly is intact.

But Rendell vetoed another nearly $13 billion that had been endorsed by Republicans for social services, school subsidies and more in an attempt to pressure GOP lawmakers to authorize more money for those programs.

However, Democrats have not shown how to deliver the funding they want for public schools, early childhood education and social services without increasing taxes, and Republicans refuse to publicly endorse any kind of tax increase.