Posted on 02/18/2012 6:58:23 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The Maryland House of Delegates narrowly approved legalization of gay marriage late Friday, clearing the way for final passage next week and the expected signature of Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley. That would make Maryland the eighth state with a law on the books legalizing gay marriage, though it would have to survive an expected attempt to block it by referendum. In debate before the vote, Delegate Anne Kaiser, one of seven openly gay members of the House, said that she wanted, "Marriage. Nothing more. Nothing less."
The final vote tally was 71-67, with the minimum number of votes needed for passage. Despite having 56 co-sponsors, it had remained unclear whether the bill would pass until the final minutes of debate.
Most Republican delegates opposed the measure, and some black Democrats bowed to pressure from church leaders to try to block the bill. The measure was passed by the Senate last year but died in the House of Delegates without coming to a vote.
The Baltimore Sun reported that the uncertainty preceding the vote had whipped up lobbying efforts by a range of national figures. New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and former Vice President Dick Cheney pushed Maryland delegates to pass the bill.
The proposed law would not require churches and other religious organizations to perform gay marriages.
If enacted, the law would come into force in January 2013. But opponents of the bill have until June 1 to collect 55,736 signatures to trigger a referendum on it. Voters would then get to have their say in November.
The New Jersey legislature passed a gay marriage bill on Thursday, but Republican Gov. Chris Christie vetoed it Friday afternoon.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I think there's a joke in there somewhere.
Say what?
Is this revisionist history or has the world gone completely mad?
Thanks SeekAndFind.
RE: those who say we’re right behind Greece are probably right for the wrong reasons.
Well, the ISLAND OF LESBOS is in Greece.
Dude, I suspect that some of the pro gay marriage crowd would rather have Greece be the country that was positioned “behind”.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. :.)
Maryland to okay perversion?
Well it is Maryland, so not really a surprise. You don;t get much more to the far left then Maryland.....
If it has to do with Greece I’m sure Barney Frank is behind it.
Next, Governor O'Malley reports GINORMOUS UFOs ATTACK INNER HARBOR.
Cheney has a gay daughter - he has always been pro-gay marriage.
This move will spur the initiative for a referendum like no other. The state will vote for their own marriage amendment, and then the sodomites will be in worse shape than before.
Thank you, sodomites!
“The proposed law would not require churches and other religious organizations to perform gay marriages. “
Yet.
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May what fwdude said be so!
I live in MD - the DREAM Act that was passed last year is on hold until MD residents can vote on the referendum in November. MD residents are overwhelmingly AGAINST this law. IF they vote against it, per the MD Constitution, it is repealed.
Same thing for gay marriage, it was almost enacted last year - but was tabled. This year, if it passes the legislature, O'Malley WILL sign it.
AFTER this happens, signatures will be collected to put gay marriage to referendum [like the DREAM Act]. They think it will only take 1 month to get enuf signatures. The referendum vote will be closer and be something like 52-48, either way it goes. Hard to tell which way, since it is within the margiin of error ...
I don’t believe Maryland has a referendum amendment process. Constitutional amendments must be passed by a 3/5 majority in the legislature before the citizens vote.
Well, then how about trying reverse psychology for awhile. Nobody may cohabitate or “shack up” unless and until they are LEGALLY married. There will be a hefty fine for doing so and this applies to all. Given such a scenario, what do you suppose would be the legal challenge? Just sort of a mental exercise here. I guess the “equal treatment” aspect would go away. Some revenue might be picked up. And, overall things would be more moral at least in some aspects. If marriage is so, so, so important to everybody all of a sudden, (I guess their old complaint that it is ONLY a piece of paper, yadda yadda is now passe)...then by all means, require it of all.
This was the threat the last time this vote was sought in the last session. I'll have to look it up, but I believe there is a citizens' initiative process once a law is passed.
O’Malley has cut his political throat in MD [I live there] ...
He is term-limited and has to find something new to do ...
He ONLY sponsored gay marriage THIS year [after sitting on the sidelines when it was debated LAST year] since Cumo [whom he considers a potential rival for 2016] got it passed in NY. He is under the delusion that he is Presidential Timber for 2016 - DESPITE a recent poll of MD residents that has 70% saying he WOULD NOT make a good President ...
With this lack of support - NO WAY he gets the nomination in 2016. That being said, Mikulski’s Senate Seat is not up until 2016 AND she says she will run again even though she will be 81.
If she DOESN’T run, the black DEMs are likely to run a candidate against O’Malley in the 2016 primary [and win]. They DO NOT like the gay marriage law. O’Malley CANNOT win the Senate nomination WITHOUT it ...
As far as House of Representatives - no soap. 6 of MD’s 8 districts are held by POPULAR DEMs [including O’Malley’s home district]. The OTHER 2 districts are SOLIDLY GOP ...
In addition to gay marriage, HE ALSO wants:
6% sales tax on gasoline ON TOP of the MD tax that is ALREADY applied on a per gallon basis.
Tripling the “Flush Tax” to support the Chesapeake Bay.
$2 per month more on electric bills to support construction of “wind farms”.
THESE ARE ALL OPPOSED BY MD RESIDENTS ...
Making the counties pick up 50% of the tab for state employee pensions and healthcare.
SO, O’Malley is political toast - he couldn’t even get elected dog catcher ...
This was the threat the last time this vote was sought in the last session. I'll have to look it up, but I believe there is a citizens' initiative process once a law is passed.
I live in MD. I do not know about the amendment process to the MD Constitution, but the referendum process on legislative acts is as follows:
For all NON-REVENUE legislation, after a bill has passed and been signed into law, a referendum initiative can be started. The law has a delayed implementation date from signing to full enactment to give time for signatures to be collected.
Once enough signatures have been gathered and verified within the specified time window, the law is put on hold until the next election.
If the voters reject the law at the ballot box, it is declared null and void.
Thanks.
So members of the Maryland house are legislating that children should be denied either a mother or a father. Evil.
Well, she better retire or be pushing up daisies before the end of 2014 - cuz he is term-limited and is out of office at the end of that year. Her current term ends in 2016.
And, even if he appointed himself to fill out her term, he would have to stand for election in 2016. Marylanders don't take kindly to anyone who appoints himself to an office. He would have ALL of the political baggage he is now racking up as Guv, in addition to having appointed himself to her seat ...
Van Hollen has a national legislative record in the House of Representatives and is a darling in the DEM establishment. He headed up the National Democractic Committee's Congressional Re-Election Campaign and would have the backing of Party heavyweights - should he make a run for her seat ...
Sooo,
When the mooselimbs take over America will they kill all the fags?
They do so in Saudi Arabia.,
Course there are “NO fags in Iran”.
There must be a better way to live than that.
“The referendum vote will be closer and be something like 52-48, either way it goes.”
You have to think it will be a close one. Va passed theirs by 57% in 2006, but I think it would have passed by a lot more if the language of the amendment wasn’t so broad. Maryland is a lot bluer than Va., and it is almost six years later.
Minnesota and Maryland are the ones to watch, as well as Washington if they get to vote on it. If NC passes theirs during the primary by less than 65% I would be shocked.
FReegards
why has MD and other states not got this issue on these ballot and voted on it yet?
Every state has freepers, conservatives, churches etc, there is no excuse is there for why any state now has not got this on the the ballot by now.
Here in FL we had to get over600,000 signatures, and it had to pass by over 60% of the vote which is much different to most other states which can pass with just 50% of the vote.
All 31 states which have voted on this issue have voted to keep marriage. the other state , not one of them which has a sham marriage have not had the people vote on this issue.
Think about that, not one state which has queer, sham marriage has let the people speak on this issue.
I think the only failure of an amendment was Arizona 51% to 49% in 2006, which then passed a pro-marriage amendment two years later, 56% to 44%.
The homosexualists will eventually attempt to use the popular vote process in repealing the amendments as soon as they think they have the numbers, starting with the states that passed amendments in the low 50% ranges. The average the amendments passed by was 67%, passing them in the middle of the last decade. In most places the homosexualists winning the popular vote won’t be possible for a very long time, if the trend towards “gay marriage” continues the way it has, in my opinion.
Freegards
But maybe their goodie train is just their only motivation for voting?
I just realized that my posts were poorly worded. We DO NOT have ballot initiative in MD, ONLY ballot referendum.
That is, the citizens of the state cannot initiate legislation and have the question put on the ballot. They can only reject legislative acts by two methods:
1. Legislative Referendum. The legislature enacts a law, that leaves it up to the voters to accept or reject at the ballot box. This is because they want it accepted or rejected by the Will of the People. This RARELY happens, but happened in 2010 when the voters ACCEPTED slots gambling.
2. Petition Referendum. The legislature enacts a law that is WIDELY unpopular [happens A LOT in MD]. The law has a delayed implementation date.
Citizens then have the right to collect signatures [approximately 50K] within a specified time-frame. If these are certified, the law is put on hold until the next state-wide election.
If the petition measure is passed [against enactment of the law] at the ballot box, the law is null and void.
Currently, there is one measure up for ballot referendum that has been certified [that I know of] - the MD DREAM Act. It has a good chance of passing [repealing the Act].
Gay Marriage will be up for ballot referendum, most likely. The MD Senate STILL has to pass the bill [they will] and O'Malley STILL has to sign it [he will]. Then, signatures can start to be collected.
Odds are, they will have enough signatures within a month - if not 2 weeks. PG County is majority black AND conservatively religious. There is a "Mega Church" there with 10K members and their Pastor is AGAINST gay marriage. He is likely to get EVERY valid signature out of just that ONE congregation ...
Hey, Bloomberg, butt out of our state’s affairs. You too, Darth Vader!
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
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