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MsTinkerbelly · 02-15-2012, 01:34 PM

Maryland’s marriage equality bill heads to full House after passing committee vote
By Jacob Combs

Yesterday, two Maryland House of Delegates committees which heard testimony on a proposed marriage equality bill last Friday voted as a joint body to advance the bill to a full House vote. The joint committee vote required a majority of the 45 legislators to move the bill to the House; it passed 25-18.

As the Baltimore Sun reported, yesterday’s vote did hold a few surprises. Delegate Robert Costa, who represents a conservative area in Anne Arundel County, took supporters of marriage equality by surprise when he voted yes, becoming the only Republican so far to do. Del. Sam Arora, whose relationship with the LGBT community has been on rocky ground, abstained from the vote. Arora included marriage equality in his platform when he ran for office, garnering cash and political support from progressives and the LGBT community, co-sponsored last year’s marriage equality bill, and then later issued a statement saying he had changed his mind about marriage rights but would still vote for the bill.

Last year, two delegates who had co-sponsored the legislation, Jill Carter of Baltimore and Tiffany Alston of Prince George’s County, stunned supporters by dropping their support for the measure. Alston voted against moving the bill out of committee this year, and also introduced an amendment that would delay the bill’s effective date to allow for a voter referendum before it would go into effect. That measure failed. Carter has not co-sponsored the bill this year, saying her support for marriage equality had “diminished,” but did vote to move it to the House floor.

Supporters of the bill have expressed optimism, saying they believed House leaders would move the measure to a full floor vote only if they thought it could pass. Last year, the Judiciary committee, which was the only one to hear testimony on a marriage equality bill, voted to send it to the full House, only to have it sent back to committee when support dried up, killing the measure. This year, only 11 of the 21 Jucidiary committee members voted in favor of the bill, although 15 of the 23 members on the health committee, a majority, voted yes.

What does this all mean? Essentially, if marriage equality does come up for a full House vote in Maryland this year, which it looks like it will, it’s going to be a very close vote that will probably come down to the few legislators still sitting on the fence. If you live in Maryland or know anyone who does, it’s time to contact those representatives! Maryland could be another win for 2012, but it’s going to be an uphill battle getting there

02-15-2012, 01:34 PM	#906
MsTinkerbelly Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: ... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 6,573 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,737 Thanked 22,908 Times in 5,019 Posts Rep Power: 0	News from maryland...Prop 8 blog Maryland’s marriage equality bill heads to full House after passing committee vote By Jacob Combs Yesterday, two Maryland House of Delegates committees which heard testimony on a proposed marriage equality bill last Friday voted as a joint body to advance the bill to a full House vote. The joint committee vote required a majority of the 45 legislators to move the bill to the House; it passed 25-18. As the Baltimore Sun reported, yesterday’s vote did hold a few surprises. Delegate Robert Costa, who represents a conservative area in Anne Arundel County, took supporters of marriage equality by surprise when he voted yes, becoming the only Republican so far to do. Del. Sam Arora, whose relationship with the LGBT community has been on rocky ground, abstained from the vote. Arora included marriage equality in his platform when he ran for office, garnering cash and political support from progressives and the LGBT community, co-sponsored last year’s marriage equality bill, and then later issued a statement saying he had changed his mind about marriage rights but would still vote for the bill. Last year, two delegates who had co-sponsored the legislation, Jill Carter of Baltimore and Tiffany Alston of Prince George’s County, stunned supporters by dropping their support for the measure. Alston voted against moving the bill out of committee this year, and also introduced an amendment that would delay the bill’s effective date to allow for a voter referendum before it would go into effect. That measure failed. Carter has not co-sponsored the bill this year, saying her support for marriage equality had “diminished,” but did vote to move it to the House floor. Supporters of the bill have expressed optimism, saying they believed House leaders would move the measure to a full floor vote only if they thought it could pass. Last year, the Judiciary committee, which was the only one to hear testimony on a marriage equality bill, voted to send it to the full House, only to have it sent back to committee when support dried up, killing the measure. This year, only 11 of the 21 Jucidiary committee members voted in favor of the bill, although 15 of the 23 members on the health committee, a majority, voted yes. What does this all mean? Essentially, if marriage equality does come up for a full House vote in Maryland this year, which it looks like it will, it’s going to be a very close vote that will probably come down to the few legislators still sitting on the fence. If you live in Maryland or know anyone who does, it’s time to contact those representatives! Maryland could be another win for 2012, but it’s going to be an uphill battle getting there