25-22...the governor will sign it if it passes the house and senate...from what i've read, the senate was the close one, and this isa good sign...the house will most likely pass it.
http://silverspring.patch.com/articles/full-senate-gives-preliminary-approval-to-same-sex-marriage-10By a 25-22 vote, the full Senate gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill allowing same-sex marriage in Maryland. In a roughly two-hour debate, proponents successfully fought back five amendments, including one that would have allowed wedding service providers, including photographers, caterers and hotels, to refuse to serve gay couples. Minority Leader Nancy Jacobs proposed another contentious amendment that would have allowed judges and clerks who personally object to same-sex unions to refuse to perform the marriages. Jacobs argued that even though those judges and clerks had taken an oath to uphold the law as public servants, same-sex marriage was not part of the law when they took that oath.
The amendment was unanimously voted down by voice vote. A final Senate vote is expected as early as Thursday. The House begins hearing testimony on a concurrent bill Friday and Gov. Martin O'Malley has said he would sign marriage equality legislation. The Senate approved several amendments to the bill. The amendments exempt religiously affiliated summer camps, retreats, counseling providers and insurance programs from serving gay couples. The phrase "Religious Freedom" was also dropped from the title of the bill, leaving it as the "Civil Marriage Protection Act." While these amendments exempted more organizations from recognizing same-sex marriages, supporter of the bill and floor leader Sen. Jamie Raskin, D-Montgomery, said the amendments contributed to the overall bill.
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