Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Tanya Rodriguez and Wendee Montes tied the knot at the Anne Arundel Circuit Courthouse in Annapolis on Wednesday.
After 13 years, Tanya Rodriguez and Wendee Montes didn't want to wait another day to get married. "No one is guaranteed tomorrow," Montes said. "If something happened to her, I wanted to be able to say she was my wife." The Brooklyn Park women became the second same-sex couple to marry in the chapel at the Anne Arundel Circuit Court in Annapolis on Wednesday morning. "It's an amazing, amazing feeling," Rodriguez said. "I knew I was going to cry." Voters in Maryland upheld a law legalizing gay marriage in the November election, but it didn't take effect until Tuesday. Since state offices were closed for New Year's Day, Wednesday was the first time couples could marry at the courthouse. Since Gov. Martin O'Malley certified the election …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Married same-sex couples who reside in Maryland can file jointly in 2014.
Same-sex married couples in Maryland will be able to file joint tax returns but they'll have to wait a year to do so. Comptroller Peter Franchot said Wednesday in a statement that "same-sex couples in the State of Maryland – whether married in this state or in other states – will have the opportunity to file joint tax returns for Tax Year 2013, and will receive the same state tax treatment as any married couple." The comptroller issued the statement a day after a Washington Times story reported that same-sex couples in Maryland would not be eligible to file jointly. Franchot said the story "contained significant misinformation regarding the tax filing status of same-sex couples in Maryland." That story raises questions about Maryland's tax…
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
DREAM Act, expanded gambling and congressional redistricting also survive referendum challenges.
UPDATED (2:26 a.m.)—Same-sex marriage is the law in Maryland. The passage of the controversial law was the biggest win among a list of six other statewide ballot questions including the DREAM Act, expanded gambling and congressional redistricting that all also passed. Gov. Martin O'Malley took to the podium to address the Question 6 victory party at The Soundstage in Baltimore early Wednesday to chants of his last name. O'Malley thanked the crowd for all they had done "in this noble battle to move Maryland Forward." The governor praised supporters for all their hard work and for securing support for the controversial ballot question by talking to their families and their religious institutions. "You were carrying this banner of human …
Thursday, October 18, 2012
How will you vote on the Congressional redistricting plan on Nov. 6?
In addition to more notable referendum questions such as same-sex marriage, DREAM Act and expanded gambling, Maryland voters will also be asked to decide the fate of the state's recently redrawn congressional districts. Earlier this week, Comptroller Peter Franchot announced he intends to vote against the maps and asked voters to do the same. The comptroller said the recent maps drawn by Gov. Martin O'Malley and approved by the General Assembly are unfair and make Maryland "the poster child for gerrymandering." A spokeswoman for the governor noted that the maps have survived a number of challenges in the courts and that the process used to create them is legally sound. Voters on Nov. 6 will be asked to vote for the referred law or against …
Friday, June 15, 2012
The candidates, incumbents and issues that will be affecting Glen Burnie, Brooklyn Park, Linthicum and Anne Arundel County.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Friday, June 15, 2012
As we look ahead to November’s elections, Glen Burnie Patch is devoted to bringing you the information you need to be informed. Here's our start on the candidates and issues we'll be covering as November draws near. Be sure to bookmark this page for updates. Daniel Bongino: Daniel Bongino of Severna Park, a former Secret Service agent, is the Republican challenger running against incumbent Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin. Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger: Ruppersberger is seeking his sixth term and is up against state Sen. Nancy Jacobs. He is the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee; a big showing by Democrats in November could vault him to committee chairman. Rep. John Sarbanes: The Democrat is seeking a fourth term in Maryland’s …
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The law goes to the governor for signature and a likely referendum challenge.
The Maryland State Senate passed same-sex marriage by a 25-22 vote Thursday night. The passage of the bill comes less than a week after the House of Delegates passed the identical bill. The bill now goes to Gov. Martin O'Malley for his signature. The law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2013 is expected to face a referendum challenge and could end up on the November ballot along with the bill that grants in-state tuition rates to some children of illegal immigrants. How they Voted—Anne Arundel County: James Rosapepe, D, 21 Yes John Astle, D, 30 No Bryan Simonaire, R, 31 No James DeGrange, D, 32 No Edward Reilly, R, 33 No How they Voted—Prince George's County: James Rosapepe, D, 21 yes Paul Pinsky, D, 22 Yes Douglas Peters, D, 23 No Joanne…
Friday, February 17, 2012
The minimum of 71 delegates needed to pass the legislation voted to approve the bill.
It was close, but the Maryland House of Delegates voted to approve a same-sex marriage bill Friday night that was a priority for Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley. Legislators passed the Civil Marriage Protection Act with 72 votes in favor and 67 delegates voting against the legislation. The bill needed a minimum of 71 votes to pass. The total was originally reported as 71 votes in favor because a technical glitch locked out Del. John Bohanon’s vote in favor of the bill. Just two Republicans—Dels. Wade Kach and Robert Costa of Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, respectively—voted in favor of the bill. A similar bill died last year in the House when proponents failed to secure the needed votes and were forced to return the bill to committee…
bystander
10:42 am on Monday, December 24, 2012
I would bet most gay folks are against the idea (and even legislation) of several people entering into a marriage. Most Patch commentators proclaiming their homosexual partnership have been silent on defending this idea. Maryland should make people partnerships the same as corporate partnerships...any number of people and any gender. It removes the religion from the subject, which seems to have … more ›