By Annapolis Notebook
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Democratic lawmakers introduced bills yesterday to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland, casting the issue as a civil rights battle like those fought by Sen. Gwendolyn T. Britt (D-Prince George's), who planned to be a lead sponsor of the effort. She died Jan. 12.
Sponsors -- including Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (D-Montgomery), Sen. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Montgomery), Del. Benjamin S. Barnes (D-Prince George's), Del. Heather R. Mizeur (D-Montgomery) and Del. Anne R. Kaiser (D-Montgomery) -- said 49 lawmakers have signed on to the legislation, which would remove language in the state code that limits marriage to unions between men and women.
The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act would also exempt religious leaders from having to perform or recognize same-sex unions.
At a news conference, lawmakers compared their cause to the work of Britt, who was arrested for riding a segregated merry-go-round in Glen Echo Park in 1960.
Advocates shifted their quest for marriage rights to the General Assembly after Maryland's highest court upheld the state's 34-year-old ban on same-sex marriage last year.
Opponents of same-sex unions have revived bills to write the ban into the state constitution. Another bill introduced by Sen. Janet Greenip (R-Anne Arundel) would authorize "covenant marriages" in Maryland, unions between men and women who would agree to accept limited grounds for divorce.
-- Lisa Rein
Tougher Rules Floated for Canceling Trials
A state senator has introduced legislation prompted by the case of a Liberian man who was accused of rape in 2004 and released last year because the court did not find a translator in time for a speedy trial.
Sen. James Brochin (D-Baltimore County) is sponsoring a bill that would make it harder for judges to dismiss cases that have lingered before trial because a translator for the defendant cannot be found.
Courts would be required to hold a hearing and explain why there is no alternative to dismissal.
-- Lisa Rein
Harsher Penalties for Transit Assaults
A Maryland lawmaker is proposing tougher penalties for transit riders who assault passengers or drivers, damage property or use foul language.
Under legislation introduced yesterday by Del. Melvin L. Stukes (D-Baltimore), beating a transit passenger would be a criminal offense punishable with a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison. The mandatory minimum sentence for beating a transit driver would be 20 years.
Another Stukes bill would prohibit customers from using "obscene language" on transit vehicles and in transit facilities. Violators would be subject to a minimum fine of $500.
A third measure would punish people who damage transit property, such as the windows and seats of buses and trains, with a maximum sentence of three years and/or a fine not exceeding $2,500.
Stukes, who works part time as a customer service agent at the Maryland Transit Administration, said his office has been deluged with complaints.
"People call to say, 'Can we do something about all this foul language that occurs?' " Stukes said. If riders "tear the buses up and tear out the windows, guess who's paying for that? You and I. Enough's enough."
Stukes's legislation would also prohibit bus drivers from using a cellphone or other mobile communication device while operating their vehicles.
-- Philip Rucker
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