MD: Comptroller Trying to Square AG Gay Marriage Opinion, Federal Law

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot and his staff are trying to work same-sex couples into the state's tax equation without violating federal law. The comptroller's office began crunching numbers Thursday after Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler said state agencies must begin recognizing same-sex unions performed outside the state.

"We're looking at how [Gansler's opinion] could change how same-sex couples file their tax returns," said Franchot spokesman Joseph Shapiro. Eligibility and rates for more than 1,000 federal benefits depend on marital status, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Shapiro said he does not know what economic effect recognizing same-sex marriages would have on Maryland. He expects the office to provide that answer within the next month, with a report on whether same-sex couples can file jointly benefits without violating federal law. If Franchot's office finds the federal Defense of Marriage Act prevents the state from giving those benefits, lawmakers or the Court of Appeals would have to change state law.

Full Story from the Washington Examiner
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MD: Democrats Afraid Gay Marriage Decision Will Make Their Reelections Harder

A long-awaited attorney general's opinion on same-sex marriage thrust the polarizing issue into an election year spotlight that had Democrats cringing as they braced for an expected onslaught of Republican campaign rhetoric.

"In my opinion, it couldn't have been worse timing," Del. Galen R. Clagett said of the opinion, released Wednesday, in which Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) found that Maryland courts could recognize same-sex marriages performed out-of-state. "You know they say in politics, timing is everything."

Clagett said he does not expect issues raised by Gansler to come up for a floor vote in the House of Delegates, but that the opinion could complicate re-election chances for Democrats in more conservative parts of the state.

Full Story from Gazette.net
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MD: Lawmaker Threatens AG With Impeachment Over Forthcoming Gay Marriage Opinion

In May 2009, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler, responding to a request from state senator Richard Madaleno (D – Montgomery County), began the process of issuing an opinion on whether the state is permitted to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. Ten months have passed since the AG began researching the issue, and Marylander’s are still waiting for Gansler’s report.

But with the District of Columbia having voted in favor of gay marriage, many same-sex couples can now choose to wed in D.C. (beginning March 3) and still reside in Maryland – where those nuptials will not be recognized.

A bill introduced in this legislative session by Delegate Emmett Burns (D – Baltimore County) – which would have banned same-sex marriage recognition in advance of Gansler’s opinion – was killed in early February by the House Judiciary Committee with a 12 to 8 vote.

Full Story from Examiner.com
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MD: Anti Gay Marriage Bill Killed

A key Maryland House committee killed a bill Wednesday that would have prohibited the state from recognizing legal gay marriage performed in other states, according to the Maryland Reporter. Delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr.'s bill died in the House of Delegates Judiciary Committee on a 12 to 8 vote. Burns, a Democrat, is also a Baltimore County Baptist minister.

Two conservative Democrats, Gerron Levi and Kevin Kelly, joined six Republicans in voting in favor of the measure.

Maryland currently restricts marriage to heterosexual unions by law.
Last year, a gay marriage bill never made it out of committee, despite wide support from committee members.

Full Story from On Top Magazine
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MD: Republicans Accuse AG of Delay in Gay Marriage Recognition Decision

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee took aim at the state's attorney general Thursday, accusing him at a hearing of playing politics with a highly anticipated opinion on whether Maryland law will honor same-sex marriage certificates issued by other states.

The opinion was requested in May, and Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has not yet ruled, prompting Del. Don H. Dwyer of Anne Arundel County to say the lengthy deliberation process has "become political in nature."

Del. Michael D. Smigiel Sr. of Southern Maryland accused Gansler of "bastardizing" the process by "coming in the back door" to settle an issue that the delegate believes the General Assembly ought to debate. Smigiel predicted that Gansler would rule after the session ends in April.

Full Story from the Baltimore Sun
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What Can Happen When Gay Couples Can't Marry

Here's a new twist to the gay hate crime dialogue you've heard so much about lately: Glen H. Footman is perhaps the first hate crime victim to be screwed over by both the miscreant who shot him as he walked peacefully along a street with his longtime partner and then once more, after death, by his home state, Maryland. What are you talking about? You might ask. How could the state be involved? The answer is quite simple once you know the story. It boils down to a few hard facts. In September 2008, Foote and his partner of 13 years, Alex Chavarria, were minding their own business walking along a street in Mount Vernon, a Baltimore neighborhood just north of the downtown. Witnesses have said that the man who stopped Footman to ask him a question and went on to shoot him twice was earlier overheard saying, "I'm going to kill myself a gay tonight." As of this writing, Baltimore police have classified the murder as a possible hate crime but have not made any arrests. Footman spent months at Maryland Shock Trauma Center, then a rehabilitation center, then at home. He died November 9, almost a year after he was shot. To compound the tragedy, Footman died too soon to get any of the state dollars available to victims from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. According to Peter Hermann, a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, "A spokesman for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, which oversees the panel, told me an investigator had put the application on the docket in early November, but the board wasn't due to vote until a week after Footman died. And because Footman, 52, had no spouse and no dependents, there is no one for the state to give the money to." Full Story from In Cold Blog

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MD: Anti Gay Marriage Bill Introduced in Legislature

A Baltimore County delegate is sponsoring legislation that would prohibit Maryland from recognizing gay marriages validated by other states or countries. Del. Emmett C. Burns Jr.'s measure would also declare that marriages between individuals of the same sex are against the public policy of the state of Maryland. The House of Delegates Judiciary Committee has rejected similar measures introduced before, which prevented the bill from going to the House floor for debate. In neighboring Washington, D.C., gay couples will likely be able to apply soon for marriage licenses. The district's City Council passed a bill last month legalizing same-sex marriage. Full Story from WTOP

Click here for gay marriage resources in Maryland.

To subscribe to this blog, use the rss feed on the right, or use the form at right to join our email list. You can also email us at info@purpleunions.com. Or find us on Facebook - just search for Gay Marriage Watch (you'll see our b/w wedding pic overlooking the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge in SF). We're also tweeting daily at http://www.twitter.com/gaymarriagewatc.