In this podcast by reporter Duane Keenan, we hear reactions to the passage of the same-sex marriage bill in the House of Delegates from legislators Luke Clippinger, Heather Mizeur, Pat McDonough, Justin Ready, Michael Smigiel and Speaker Michael Busch. [...more]
Same-sex marriage passed the House of Delegates with a 72-67 vote Friday night, paving the way for a long battle to determine whether Maryland will be the nation’s eighth state allowing people of the same gender to wed. [...more]
Sen. Ulysses Currie sat in silence Friday as the Senate chair of the Joint Ethics Committee, his seatmate Norman Stone, read the findings of an ethics investigation that called for a resolution to censure Currie and remove him from leadership positions on committees and subcommittees. All 47 senators, including Currie, voted for the censure after he made a tearful apology. [...more]
Amendments and debate on the same-sex marriage bill in the House of Delegates were postponed until Friday to give delegates more time to consider amendments. But not before an amendment to delay the implementation date of the bill to Jan. 1, 2013 was added by voice vote. [...more]
The Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics unanimously recommended to censure Sen. Ulysses Currie, D-Prince George’s, for failing to report $250,000 in consulting fees he received from Shoppers Food Warehouse last year while advocating legislation beneficial to the grocery chain, according the committee report. A vote on the recommendations is expected today. [...more]
Duane Keenan talked to several delegates on Wednesday about Thursday’s same-sex marriage debate on the floor of the House of Delegates. Listen to his podcast here. [...more]
Tensions were high once again this year as delegates on the House Ways and Means committee debated a bill that would require Maryland voters to present proof of identity at polling stations when voting. [...more]
House Minority Leader Anthony O’Donnell, R-Calvert, testified Wednesday on a bill he sponsored to stop public officials from using state employees as personal chauffeurs. He also wants to reduce the number of state troopers assigned to transport lawmakers and top government executives. [...more]
With a joint committee vote of 25-18, including a lone Republican supporter, a bill allowing same-sex marriage in Maryland was sent to the full House of Delegates to be voted on as soon as this week. [...more]
Beneath the monument to Thurgood Marshall with the engraved words “Equal Justice Under Law,” around 800 advocates for same-sex marriage rallied on Lawyer’s Mall on Monday evening. Organized by the Marylanders for Marriage Equality coalition, which consists of several state and national organizations, the rally and lobby day -- which flooded House and Senate offices with 15,000 signed postcards urging support for the bill -- came as supporters continue to round up the votes needed to pass the bill in the House of Delegates. [...more]
