A Cabot Oil and Gas natural gas drill stands at a hydraulic fracturing site on January 18, 2012 in South Montrose, Penn. (Spencer Platt - Getty Images) Sharp disagreement has surfaced in the Maryland legislature over how much to tax natural gas production in the event Maryland allows energy companies to drill for shale gas deep below the state’s westernmost counties.

Del. Maggie McIntosh (D-Baltimore) and Del. Sheila Hixson (D-Montgomery) on Friday introduced a bill that would let the state collect 15 percent of the wholesale value of any natural gas produced from Maryland’s portion of the Marcellus Shale.

That’s six times the rate proposed by Sen. George C. Edwards (R-Allegany and Garrett), who earlier introduced a bill to set the “severance tax” rate on natural gas at 2.5 percent.

Though the mechanisms differ, both bills propose to use the resulting revenue in the affected areas to address the potential environmental and public health impacts of gas production. But the wide gap between the proposed tax rates in the House and Senate versions creates uncertainty about the chances of compromise and passage of a unified bill.

Maryland Gov. Martin O' Malley (D) speaks at a hearing last week in Annapolis on same-sex marriage . (Mark Gail/The Washington Post)A group pushing for the legalization of same-sex marriage said it plans to unveil 15,000 postcards filled out by supportive Marylanders at a rally Monday night in Annapolis.

The gesture by Marylanders for Marriage Equality comes as the General Assembly moves toward voting on the issue, which Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) is championing during the 90-day legislative session.

In an attempt to build support for a measure that failed last year, O’Malley and his allies have been trying to court Republicans and wavering Democrats in the House of Delegates.

Del. Barbara A. Frush has sponsored legislation that would allow a casino, featuring slot machines and Las Vegas-style table games, to be built in Prince George’s County if state and local voters approve.

Frush (D-Prince George’s) confirmed Friday that she has submitted legislation in the House identical to a Senate bill introduced earlier this week by Sen. Douglas J.J. Peters (D-Prince George’s). Frush’s initiative is expected to debut in the House early next week and could provide some additional momentum for the bill.

The legislation — which has divided Prince George’s lawmakers — also would allow table games at Maryland’s five previously authorized slots venues and would increase the share of proceeds that casino operators may keep.

“For one thing, I think it would provide a good financial boost for the county, and God knows, the county needs money,” Frush said. “And it would also help the state.”

Responding to a clash with Montgomery legislators last week, the county’s executive branch has published nearly all its recent internal audits online, county officials announced this week.

Last week, County Council members butted heads with the executive branch over how transparent it is, after they learned that two reports from the Office of Internal Audit, which serves County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), were not given to them or widely disseminated to the public.

Dozens of Montgomery County parents, school officials and municipal officials testified this week against a proposed cut in school construction funding by County Executive Isiah Leggett (D).

The Montgomery County Council held public hearings Tuesday and Thursday for the county’s upcoming six-year capital spending plan, which dictates how construction funding is allocated among schools, roads and other infrastructure projects.

Last month, Leggett proposed the first cut in school funding in recent memory, despite record-high enrollment growth and what school officials describe as low construction costs.