4 posts tagged “civil marriage”
The McFreeds congratulate...
President George W. Bush's daughter Jenna and her new husband Henry Hager on their marriage on Saturday May 10, 2008. May their early life together as newlyweds here in Baltimore, MD be happy and fruitful. We both hope our community will support their relationship with dignity and respect as they make a life, have children, and grow old together with us right next door. We hope our wedding next year as special, meaningful, and memorable as their's was! Who knows, maybe our future children will grow up together in the same schools and neighborhood!
Mazel Tov and Best Wishes
The McFreeds report...
The following was taken from Equality Maryland's web site summarizing the two bills that passed the Maryland General Assembly this year pertaining to domestic partnerships. Once signed, these will definitely helpd us with our current goals.
The General Assembly approved two measures that were passed in 2005 but vetoed by Gov. Ehrlich.
Senate Bill 566, sponsored by Senator Robert Garagiola and cross-filed by Delegate James Hubbard, provides 11 protections to domestic partners. These include the right to visit one another in the hospital, share a room in a nursing home and to make funeral decisions for each other. The legislative sponsors and leadership, in particular Health and Government Operations Committee Chair Pete Hammen, invested a significant amount of effort to work with Equality Maryland to ensure passage of the bill.
Senate Bill 597, sponsored by Senator Rona Kramer and cross-filed by Delegate Anne Kaiser, adds "domestic partners" to the list of family members a person can add or remove from the deed of their home without paying recordation and transfer fees and taxes.
Both bills are headed to the Governor [O'Malley]'s desk; he is expected to sign them. The measures will go into effect on July 1, 2008.
The Baltimore city council became the fourth Maryland jurisdiction to pass a resolution supporting the expansion of civil marriage for same-sex couples. The resolution was passed by a 9-3-3 vote on Monday. Baltimore joins College Park, Kensington, and Takoma Park in supporting the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, according to Equality Maryland. Of the 24 state legislators who represent Baltimore, at least 11 have committed to voting for the act.
"Expanding civil marriage to include same-sex couples is the fair thing to do," council member Bill Henry, who introduced the resolution, said in a statement. "I am proud of my colleagues who stood up for all of our families in Baltimore. I hope this resolution will nudge those state legislators from Baltimore who are not yet enthusiastically supporting this historic legislation to rethink their position."
In February, city council president Stephanie Rawlings-Blake submitted testimony in support of the act. "Marriage is a unique institution on many levels: religious, spiritual, and social," she wrote. "Marriage is also a civil institution that affords many economic and contractual benefits that are not afforded to people as individuals. I do not believe that people should be denied any of these rights just because they do not fall under the legal definition of marriage." (The Advocate)
The McFreeds report...
In our state of Maryland, some things are looking up on the legal front for gay lesbian couples. It's not a done deal yet but it's getting there!
Senate approves expanded rights for unmarried couples
By Kristen Wyatt
The Associated Press
5:40 PM EDT, March 18, 2008
With gay marriage a no-go this year, Maryland senators voted today to allow unmarried couples more rights to make medical decisions for each other.
The Senate voted 30-17 to allow domestic partners, who could be gay or straight, to make medical or funeral decisions for each other if they meet certain criteria to show they are a committed couple.Unwed couples would have to show "mutual interdependence" such as joint checking accounts or common property ownership before qualifying as domestic partners eligible for the decision-making powers.
The bill comes amid complaints from unwed couples that they are sometimes denied life-or-death decision rights or medical privileges such as riding in an ambulance or visiting a partner on life support.
The measure now heads to the House. It could become the most substantive gay-rights matter lawmakers take up this year. This is the first general session of the legislature since Maryland's highest court said last year that the legislature is free to remove gender definitions in state marriage law, but top lawmakers have said gay unions won't be considered this term.
Supporters of the medical bill approved today argued that in lieu of gay marriage, lawmakers ought to at least allow medical decision-making powers for unmarried couples.
"We're not willing to do the right thing and open up marriage to everyone in Maryland," said Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, who supports gay marriage.
The bill sparked days of debate from senators who questioned how couples would designate each other their domestic partners. Some also questioned whether the bill would open the door to gay marriage later.
"In society today, we promote marriage. Marriage between one man and one woman," said Sen. Alex Mooney, R-Frederick, who opposed the measure. "You're giving spousal rights to unmarried people."
Another Republican, Sen. Janet Greenip of Anne Arundel County, worried the measure would demean marriage and give undue rights to what she called "highly unstable" relationships.
"This is not about you. This is not about me. This is about the children. What kind of future are we leaving for our children?" Greenip asked.
The only Republican to support the bill, Sen. Allan Kittleman, said he wanted to allow couples who can't marry for legal reasons the medical rights spouses have. He cited elderly couples and a widow who cannot marry her longtime partner because she'd lose benefits.
"I rise in support of this bill, and it's not an easy thing for me to do," said Kittleman, the Senate's second-ranking Republican. Later, Kittleman added, "This isn't simply about homosexuality."
After a short debate, the Senate approved the measure 30-17 today. Only four Democrats voted against it. The measure now heads to the House.
The legislature is also considering measures to exempt domestic partners from paying certain transfer taxes when one person dies, and a measure to add domestic partners to the list of people exempted from paying inheritance taxes.
Oddly, the bills have made allies in a way of gay-rights activists and gay-rights opponents. Gay-rights activists, citing a long debate over what-if scenarios made possible by the medical decisions bill, supported the medical bill but say lawmakers would be better to simply open marriage to gay couples.
"I think going down this road is going to illuminate legislators as to why marriage equality is the right answer," said Dan Furmansky, head of Equality Maryland, the state's largest gay-rights group.
And opponents of the medical bill said almost the same thing -- that the medical bill is a step toward gay marriage. It's an unusual alliance.
"It is kind of ironic how it's worked out," said the Rev. Rick Bowers, a Columbia pastor who is head of Defend Maryland Marriage, which opposes gay unions. "But it's because we all see it as a step in the same direction. It's an incremental step toward gay marriage."
My Groups
-
ALL MUSIC Updated: 2 minutes ago
-
Life and Photos Updated: 2 minutes ago
-
We♥Music Updated: 59 minutes ago
Neighborhood
Explore friends, family, friends & family, or entire neighborhood.
