The bill to extend the right to marry to same-sex couples in Maryland died in the legislature there today. Debate over the bill in the state House of Delegates ended without taking a vote. In fact, in a step backwards, the bill was sent back to committee. With the current legislative session ending next month, the issue will not be taken up again until next year. The bill had, however, gotten further than ever before–having passed the Senate and made it out of committee in the House.
Had the bill come up for a vote, it was expected that the vote would have been close, and some said that the bill would have been a vote shy of passage. But, by sending the bill back to committee, the legislators were able to avoid putting themselves on the record on this issue. This might not be the most courageous thing to do, but then:
“Not exactly profiles in courage,” said Brown, of the National Organization for Marriage. The organization had pledged $1 million to defeat Republicans who supported the legislation and help reelect Democrats who opposed it.
-Tony Infanti
