Key Maryland Bills: A Status Report

Legislation marked with an asterisk is part of the agenda of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R).

Legislation	What bill would do	Status
Slot machine gambling*	Legalize slot machine gambling in Maryland.	House and Senate versions could not be reconciled.
Teenage driving restrictions	Limit young passengers. Restrict cell phone use. Extend time for learner's permit.* Increase practice hours. Increase penalty for drunken driving.* Increase penalty for seat belt or curfew violations.	On the governor's desk. On the governor's desk. On the governor's desk. On the governor's desk. Died in conference. On the governor's desk.
Same-sex marriage	Prohibit recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states.	Killed in House committee.
Gay rights	Allow unmarried couples the right to make health and funeral decisions. Add sexual orientation to state hate crimes law.	On the governor's desk. On the governor's desk.
Witness intimidation*	Make witness intimidation a felony. Allow an exception to hearsay.	On the governor's desk.
Medical malpractice*	Place further restrictions on payouts in medical malpractice lawsuits.	Died in committee.
Asian oysters	Require more study before Asian oysters are put into Chesapeake Bay.	On the governor's desk.
Stem cell research	Provide up to $23 million a year in support of embryonic stem cell research.	Died in Senate.
Car theft	Allow wiretapping in car-theft cases. Put restrictions on key duplication. Allow owners to submit affidavits.	On the governor's desk. Killed in House committee. On the governor's desk.
Higher education	Require annual increases in state aid and cap tuition increases at colleges and universities.	Killed in committee.
School construction	Raise money for construction by closing a corporate tax loophole. Provide additional funds through budget.	Died in Senate committee. $250 million included.
Disposing of state-owned property	Constitutional amendment restricting governor's ability to sell parkland.	Goes to 2006 ballot.
Electronic voting machines	Require paper verification of computerized votes.	On the governor's desk.
State Board of Elections	Allow minority party to recommend members for state board; add requirements to remove administrator.	Vetoed by governor; veto overridden.
Violent and X-rated videos	Ban the sale of violent and sexually explicit videos to minors.	Killed in committee.
BWI Airport	Add the name of former Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall to the airport's name.	On the governor's desk.
Intercounty connector funding	Raise the cap on bonds for the road.	On the governor's desk.
Emergency contraception	Allow access to morning-after pill without a prescription.	Defeated in Senate.
Minimum wage	Raise the minimum wage in Maryland by $1 an hour.	On the governor's desk.
Early voting	Allow voting up to eight days before Election Day.	On the governor's desk.