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Families May Need Proof of Kids' Health Insurance for Tax Forms
Same-Sex Marriage Opposition
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Opponents of same-sex marriage pledged yesterday to take a proposed constitutional amendment banning such unions to the House floor for a vote.
The measure has failed to get a hearing before the full chamber in the five years conservative Republicans have pushed it. But Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. (R-Anne Arundel) said he is collecting the signatures of 47 delegates needed to move a bill to the floor without a yes vote in committee.
"We have an obligation to our voters to resolve this," he said, referring to last fall's Court of Appeals ruling upholding Maryland's 34-year ban on same-sex marriage. The court essentially threw the issue back to the legislature.
Advocates for same-sex marriage say they hope the General Assembly will decide to legalize those unions during the 90-day session. If that happens, opponents plan to petition to put the bill to a referendum in November. They would need about 40,000 signatures to get it on the ballot, 3 percent of voters in the 2006 gubernatorial election.
-- Lisa Rein
Tax Credit Legislation Proposed
An Anne Arundel County senator has proposed legislation to give property-tax credits to families of fallen officers and rescue workers and state tax credits to people who donate to scholarship funds or other educational programs.
The legislation by Sen. James E. DeGrange Sr. (D-Anne Arundel), titled "Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers," will provide tax credits for up to 75 percent of donations made to funds or programs at public or private schools.
A second bill introduced by DeGrange would authorize counties and municipalities to grant property-tax credits for properties owned by the surviving spouse of a fallen or disabled law enforcement officer or rescue worker.
Both bills have been assigned to the Budget and Tax Committee, on which DeGrange serves as chairman of a budget subcommittee.
-- Philip Rucker
