The Maryland Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, taking an action that mirrors those in a growing number of states relaxing their laws against the drug.
The Maryland Senate voted Wednesday to keep one of the strongest components of Gov. Martin O'Malley's gun control bill — a licensing provision for handguns that would require gun buyers to submit fingerprints to state police.
Gay rights activists, religious leaders and politicians are gearing up for two months of campaigning on the Maryland referendum to strike down same-sex marriage legislation that passed in March.
Maryland's approved $35.4 billion budget for next year would eliminate a long-running program that allows lawmakers to give college scholarships to constituents, potentially ending a system critics have argued is highly susceptible to abuse.
The Maryland Senate voted Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage, making Maryland the eighth state along with the District of Columbia to approve such legislation.
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley's same-sex marriage bill now moves to the state Senate, where floor debate could begin this week, after its narrow passage in the House.
State Senate Minority Leader Nancy Jacobs said Thursday she is stepping down as leader of her party's Senate delegation to consider running for higher office.
Maryland Sen. Allan H. Kittleman has spent seven years honing his reputation as a fiscal conservative and Republican leader in the General Assembly, but he made waves this year by standing apart from party colleagues on one of the state's most controversial social issues — same-sex marriage.
Same-sex couples in Maryland would have the same full marriage rights as heterosexuals under a bill that cleared the Senate Thursday. If the House of Delegates approves it and the governor signs it, Maryland would be the sixth U.S. state to approve gay marriage.
