The Maryland Senate will begin debate
on a gay marriage bill on Wednesday, the Associated Press
reported.
The bill was read in the Senate on
Tuesday after a
key panel approved the measure on Thursday.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller
announced debate will begin on Wednesday and could vote on it next
week.
Miller asked lawmakers to act
“gentlemanlike” and “ladylike” during the debate.
Twenty-four Senate members favor the
measure, the minimum needed for passage.
Senate Minority Leader Nancy Jacobs, a
Republican, said she expects an anticipated filibuster attempt to
fail. Governor Martin O'Malley has pledged to sign the bill into
law, which would make Maryland the sixth state to legalize the
institution.
Opponents
of marriage equality have promised to mount a campaign to repeal the
law, if approved by lawmakers.
Over the weekend, the chairman of the
Maryland Republican Party mounted a campaign against gay marriage by
targeting Democrats who favor its legalization. Alex
Mooney's rallying cry, however, excluded Senator Allan H. Kittleman,
a Republican from Howard, who has stated he'll vote in favor of the
bill.