News:
Current Press Releases and
News Articles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2010
Anti-Marriage Equality Bill Soundly Defeated in House Judiciary Committee
Equality Maryland Calls Discriminatory Bill Bad Policy
CONTACT:
Morgan Meneses- Sheets, Executive Director
410 685-6567 (office)
202 812-9229 (cell)
morgan@equalitymaryland.org
On Wednesday, February 3rd, the Maryland House Judiciary Committee soundly defeated The Same Sex Marriages - Foreign Jurisdictions - Invalidity Act (House Bill 90) by a vote of 12-8.
House Bill 90 would have not only invalidated marriages between same-sex couples entered into in another state or in a foreign country, but also declared that "marriages between individuals of the same sex are against the public policy of the State."
In his statements in support of House Bill 90, lead sponsor Delegate Emmett Burns claimed that civil marriage equality is "bad economic policy, bad social policy and bad educational policy."
"By halting this harmful legislation we have demonstrated that in fact it is discrimination that is truly bad policy for the Free State," said Morgan Meneses-Sheets, Executive Director of Equality Maryland.
"We applaud the hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Marylanders and straight allies who took a stand against this harmful legislations with their e-mails and phone calls to members of the House Judiciary Committee," said Meneses-Sheets. "We are especially grateful to the over 50 individuals who made the trip to Annapolis last week for the hearing to express their opposition to this attack on our rights and our families.”
House Bill 90 was seen by many as an attempt by Delegate Burns to do an end run around the legal process, as Maryland's Attorney General is currently considering an official opinion as to whether Maryland should honor legal out of state same-sex marriages.
"Given the defeat of House Bill 90, we are hopeful that the Attorney General's opinion will uphold the longstanding legal precedent in Maryland that couples who have been legally married in another state should be treated as fully married," added Meneses-Sheets.
Delegates voting to defeat House Bill 90 in the Judiciary Committee included Delegates Rosenberg, Anderson, Carter, Conaway, Dumais, Kramer, Lee, Ramirez, Schuler, Simmons, Valderrama and Waldstreicher. Votes in favor of House Bill 90 included Delegates Dwyer, Frank, Jennings, Kelly, Levi, McComas, McConkey, Smigel. Chairman Vallario abstained. Delegate Barnes was not present.
###
Equality Maryland is Maryland's largest LGBT civil rights organization, focused on making life better for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Maryland. Equality Maryland works to secure and protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Marylanders by promoting legislative initiatives on the state, county and municipal levels and educating the public about the issues faced by our diverse community.
Equality Maryland can be found online at www.equalitymaryland.org.