VIDEO: Maryland Marriage Bill Moves to House after Senate Victory

February 25, 2011

Update: The testimony has started. You can get live Twitter updates from Equality Maryland at @EqualityMD and read more about the procedings here.

Maryland's House of Delegates is holding committee hearings today, following last night's passage in the Senate by a vote of 25 to 21. Although the House is generally considered more progressive than the Senate, supporters must still fight hard to get it through. The bill currently has 58 sponsors – 71 votes are needed to send it to Governor Martin O'Malley, who has said he will sign the measure.

Today's testimony may be less civil than what was seen in the Senate:

Del. Don H. Dwyer Jr., a chief opponent of the legislation, promised this week to "take off the gloves" when he discusses gay marriage... "The Senate has been congenial. The House is going to be a lot more volatile," predicted Del. Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., a Baltimore Democrat and co-sponsor of the House version of the same-sex marriage legislation. "There are more personalities in the mix. I'm concerned about the tone."

A final vote on the bill is expected next week. If you're a Marylander, click here to send an email telling your Delegate that you support the freedom to marry and think they should too.

You can watch a news report on the Senate debate and passage here.