Md. Senate Passes State Smoking Ban

The Maryland resolution says slavery "fostered a climate of oppression" not just for slaves and their descendants but also for other people of color who moved to Maryland after slavery was abolished and has "afflicted the citizens of this state down to the present."

The lack of debate underscored how dramatically the politics of the issue has changed in the past decade.

After a 1998 tour of Africa in which President Bill Clinton expressed regret about the slave trade, he was accused by some conservatives in the United States of pandering to African Americans.

Sen. Nathaniel Exum (D-Prince George's), the bill's sponsor in the Senate, said he was pleased that "we can come to a recognition that we participated in something that was morally wrong."

Exum said he hopes that the apology resolution is just the beginning of a discussion about race relations and the steps that need to be taken to address the "lingering effects" slavery has had on African Americans.

Both chambers took action on another emotional issue, passing by overwhelming margins a bill named for a 9-year-old Florida girl who in 2005 was molested and murdered by a previously convicted sex offender.

Her death sparked a national movement to toughen laws on child sex offenders, with legislatures throughout the country taking action on bills in her memory.

Last year in Maryland, lawmakers passed a broader sex offender bill that, among other things, imposed mandatory minimum sentences of 25 years in prison on those at least 18 who are convicted of first-degree rape or sexual offense against someone younger than 13. The bills passed yesterday eliminate the possibility of parole during that 25-year period.

House Minority Whip Christopher B. Shank (R-Washington), the lead sponsor of "Jessica's Law," acknowledged the no-parole provision would apply to few convicted criminals but said, "It only takes one to create a Jessica Lunsford."

The House chamber broke into applause after the bill passed, 138 to 0. The margin in the Senate was 43 to 3.

Sen. Nancy Jacobs (R-Harford) said the bill finishes the business that should have been taken up last year.

"The majority of Marylanders believe these guys should never see the light of day," Jacobs said.

O'Malley spokesman Steve Kearney said the governor will sign the bill.

The House had a far more spirited debate over a bill it narrowly passed that would allow twice-convicted drug dealers the chance for parole instead of the mandatory 10-year sentence the law requires. The bill had failed by one vote last week but was reconsidered yesterday.

Staff writer Lisa Rein contributed to this report.