Maryland – The effort to legalize gay marriage in Maryland died for the year Friday after supporters said they could not find enough votes to pass the measure in the House.
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House leaders avoided a final vote on the bill and returned it to the House Judiciary Committee after it became apparent they did not have the 71 votes needed for approval. The bill to make Maryland the sixth state to allow gay marriage had already passed the Senate, and the governor said he would have signed it.
House Speaker Michael Busch said they would try again next year.
“The vote would have been very close, make no mistake about it,” said Busch, D-Anne Arundel.
Although Democrats have solid control over both chambers of the General Assembly and the governor’s office, extending full marriage rights to same sex couples did not appear possible before this year.
They were four votes short. Tne governor says they will try again in January and they might be able to pass it then but not clear how they will get the missing votes. In the interim they will establish some form of civil union rules via executive order.
The MD legislature serves four year terms and the next election is in 2014, after redistricting. Same sex marriage will probably have to wait until the 2015 session.
Thats fine, and I am not one who will be married in such a way, but with 5 states in line and DC too, how can the rest not follow in the years ahead. Gay marriage may repulse the arrogant, but its not the end of traditional marriages and the family unit will always prosper. So, liberalism is alive and well. This is not permissive. It is a sign of a healing world.