By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
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.
Maryland lawmakers are considering a bill to require that speed cameras provide clear photographic evidence of infractions, after numerous occasions where camera systems have ticketed drivers who appeared in photos to be traveling within the speed limit.
The murder-suicide involving a University of Maryland, College Park, student who was on medication for mental illness will likely affect the debate over Gov. Martin O'Malley's gun control bill and its safeguards against gun purchases by the mentally ill.
Gov. Martin O’Malley said Tuesday the state Senate is within two votes of approving a ban on capital punishment in Maryland, and the governor underscored that job creation and transportation funding concerns will be top priorities in the legislative session.
An increase in gas taxes, a repeal of the death penalty and a renewed discussion of liability for pit-bull owners are some of the issues currently on the table for Maryland's 2013 legislative session.
A group of Maryland lawmakers has announced a series of gun control proposals, including one that would ban the possession or sale of assault weapons.
Energy industry specialists are warning that Maryland may miss out on the national economic boom generated by the natural-gas drilling process known as fracking if the state approves a new bill to impose a moratorium while its environmental effects are studied.
Maryland lawmakers tasked with reviewing a court ruling on the danger of pit bulls are scheduled to meet next week to continue the complicated debate on the rights of dog owners, the safety of residents and the protection of the breed.
State Sen. Brian Frosh has formed an exploratory committee to run for Maryland attorney general in two years.
A bill that holds dog owners responsible for attacks by their pets, regardless of breed, is headed to the Maryland state Senate floor Friday.
Lawmakers might have to wait until next year to change the state's laws on dog bites because the likelihood of a summer special session is fading.
The Maryland General Assembly could consider legislation that would soften the impact of an April court ruling classifying pit bulls as "inherently dangerous" in the latest of several recent cases that have highlighted the checks and balances between the state's legislative and judicial branches.
The Maryland Senate is expected to vote this week on a measure that would crack down on Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation, or SLAPP suits — typically frivolous defamation lawsuits filed by wealthy plaintiffs to intimidate a vocal, less wealthy critic into settling out of court and keeping quiet.
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.
The House debate on Gov. Martin O'Malley's same-sex marriage initiative is scheduled to begin Friday with testimony from the Democratic governor and a Republican lawmaker who is expected to introduce a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
"It reduces crime when people have to get these licenses," Mr. Frosh said.
"We can stop some of these crimes if we can keep guns out of the hands of people who are mentally ill," said Mr. Frosh, the chairman of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. "If we haven't drawn precisely the right lines, we've drawn pretty good lines. An involuntary commitment is somebody who is a danger to himself and others."
