By Maryland Notebook
Sunday, March 18, 2007; C04

After an emotional debate about marriage, women's rights and the separation of church and state, the Senate voted against a measure seeking to remove religious barriers that prevent spouses from remarrying after obtaining a civil divorce.

The bill failed on a 22 to 22 vote.

The bill's sponsor, Sen. Lisa A. Gladden (D-Baltimore), argued that the measure was not about religion but "about fairness. It's a women's rights issue."

Gladden sponsored the bill for Orthodox Jewish women in her district who said they were unable to obtain a divorce because their husbands would not grant them one.

Under Jewish law, a civil divorce does not end a marriage. A woman must receive what is known as a "get" from her husband, and sometimes the husband will withhold the get, which makes it impossible for her to remarry as an Orthodox Jew.

The bill would have required couples who are getting divorced to file an affidavit saying they have agreed to drop religious barriers to remarriage.

Sen. Rona E. Kramer (D-Montgomery) said the bill could affect not just the Jewish faith but other religions.

Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery) said the bill was unconstitutional because "the entire purpose of this bill is religious . . . and it does entangle the state with religion."

-- Ovetta Wiggins

It was a bad week for controversial bills in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.

First a 5 to 5 vote killed a bill to repeal the death penalty.

Then a 5 to 5 vote kept a bill banning assault weapons from getting out of the committee.

Then an 8 to 2 vote stopped a measure to temporarily lift the statute of limitations for people to file a civil complaint, alleging that they were abused as minors.

Sen. James Brochin (D-Baltimore County), the sponsor of that bill, said he had sought to delay a vote on the measure until this week, when Sen. Nancy Jacobs (R-Harford) returned from California. Jacobs was absent last week because of a death in her family. Brochin thought the vote on his bill was going to be a nail-biter. It wasn't.

The bill would have allowed victims of sexual abuse to file lawsuits, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred, in certain circumstances. Under current law, people alleging that they were abused as minors can file civil complaints until they are 25.

Under the bill, complaints would have to be filed by Dec. 31, 2008.

Several adults who said they suffered sexual abuse as children offered emotional testimony this month about their alleged abuse and their inability to seek redress.

Brochin introduced a similar measure last year, but it failed to pass both chambers.

This year, after complaints that the bill was targeting the Catholic Church, Brochin offered an amendment that capped damages at $250,000 after legal expenses.

-- Ovetta Wiggins

Maryland Democratic Party Chairman Terry Lierman has been tapped to lead a national commission on election reforms.

Lierman said the panel, established by the Association of State Democratic Chairs, will spend the next four to six months looking at such issues as how to bring more uniformity to election systems across jurisdictions and how to improve access to the polls.

Recommendations will be presented to Congress as well as state and local governments across the country with the hope of influencing 2008 and 2010 elections, Lierman said.

Lierman is also the driving force behind an effort to create a regional presidential primary involving Maryland, Virginia and the District on Feb. 12, 2008.

Legislation is pending in both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly to move the state's nominating contests up in the calendar. Maryland's Democratic and Republican primaries are scheduled for March 4, 2008.

-- John Wagner