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Maryland Senate Passes Marriage Equality Bill 25-21, Moves to House

PHOTO: Equality Maryland Twitpic

Another day and another win for our side. After granting its initial approval on Wednesday, today the Maryland Senate approved the Civil Marriage Protection Act was 25 to 21. The measure now moves to the House and the debate is expected to be "volatile," reports the Baltimore Sun.

Discussion in the House of Delegates is set to begin Friday, with a committee hearing that could be far more rancorous than anything the Senate has seen. Del. Don Dwyer, an Anne Arundel County Republican and a chief opponent of the legislation, promised this week to "take off the gloves" when he discusses gay marriage. His bill to outlaw recognition of any union not between a man and a woman, also is slated to be heard Friday.

[A]pproval in Maryland's House is far from assured. The same-sex marriage bill in that chamber has 58 sponsors; 71 votes are needed for passage. And, if it is passed, it will almost certainly be petitioned to referendum, giving voters the final say.

Some debate became very personal, reports Deseret News.

The only Republican to support gay marriage, Sen. Allan Kittleman, R-Howard, recalled his father's work with the black community during the civil rights movement. Kittleman, who is white, said his father would invite leaders from the NAACP and other civil rights groups to his house when he was growing up in the 1960s.

"We lived in a very white neighborhood, and we'd have the leaders of the African American community coming to our house talking and I would go to my neighbors' later, I'd go see my friends and their parents would come to me and say 'Allan, why do all those black people come to your house?'" Kittleman said. Granting full marriage rights to same-sex couples might not be the same as the civil rights movement, Kittleman said, but "it's the right thing to do."

If passed, Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley has promised to sign the bill. Maryland would join five other states and the District of Columbia to allow same-sex marriages. Since February 2010, Maryland has recognized valid same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

Marriage Equality Wins Initial Approval in Maryland Senate 25-22

Somehow during today's excitement over DOMA—and then Hawaii—some very good news from Maryland flew under the radar.

The Maryland Senate advanced legislation allowing same-sex marriages on a preliminary vote of 25 to 22, all but ensuring passage of the measure in that chamber. The action ... followed several hours of debate on amendments designed to make exceptions for people whose religious beliefs are at odds with the notion of same-sex couples marrying.

Twenty-four votes were needed. The 25th vote was Joan Carter Conway, the veteran Baltimore Democrat who last week said she "would 'pray real hard' and vote for the bill if hers was the deciding vote." It wasn't the deciding vote, but nice to have that cushion.

The roll call is HERE.

There were several revisions:

The bill was amended so that religious organizations - like the Knights of Columbus - would not have to provide insurance to same-sex couples. Bill sponsors supported the change. The only unfriendly change adopted was Sen. Anthony Muse's suggestion to name the bill the "Civil Marriage Protection Act." It was introduced as the "Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. 

If passed, Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he would sign the bill. Maryland would join five other states and the District of Columbia to allow same-sex marriages. Since February 2010, Maryland has recognized valid same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

A final Senate vote could happen as soon as Thursday.

REPORT: Marriage Equality Bill Has Votes to Pass in Maryland Senate

The Washington Post reports "a bare majority" of Maryland's state senators "have said publicly that they will vote" for SB 116, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act.

The deciding vote: Joan Carter Conway, a veteran Baltimore Democrat.

In interviews Monday, two more senators said they intended to vote for the bill, increasing the number who have made such commitments to 24 - the bare majority needed for passage in the 47-member Senate - according to an ongoing Washington Post tally.  The Post's count of 24 senators includes one - Joan Carter Conway (D-Baltimore) - who has said she will not vote for the bill if she believes it will fail. Conway told The Post last week that she "would pray real hard" and vote for the bill if hers was the deciding vote. Still, it is clear that the legislation, which has stalled in previous years, has considerable momentum.

More on Carter Conway's decision at the Baltimore Sun:

She is uncertain whether she can make the leap to backing gay marriage. She finds herself torn between her religious background and her sympathies for minority groups. As a black woman, she said, she views herself as a "double minority" — and so is uncomfortable with casting a vote that would cause anyone to feel subjected to discrimination.

Conway said her district, which includes Ednor Gardens, Waverly, Guilford and other North Baltimore neighborhoods, is about evenly split on the issue. The three delegates in her district are co-sponsoring the House version of the legislation.

On Monday, two previously uncommitted state senators presented a Valentine's Day gift to marriage equality supporters.

"I think it's the fair thing to do," said Sen. Katherine A. Klausmeier (D-Baltimore County), who said she had gone back and forth on the bill a few times. "I just weighed all the options. I think it's fairness." Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer (D-Baltimore County) also voiced support for the bill in an interview Monday, saying, "I don't see how you can deny the right" to gay couples to marry.

If the Senate passes passes SB 116, the bill moves to the House where supporters are "confident" they have a majority.

If passed, Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he would sign the bill. Maryland would join five other states and the District of Columbia to allow same-sex marriages. Since February 2010, Maryland has recognized valid same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.