Maryland's march toward marriage equality seemed all but assured when the bill passed the Senate last week. It was presumed the House would be no problem. Then reports began to leak out that the House vote might be closer than expected.
Yesterday, a critical vote in the committee failed to go as expected when two delegates didn't show for the vote. Among them, Delegate Jill Carter, from WBAL-TV's website:
Delegate Jill Carter, D-Baltimore, said she skipped the vote because she wants $15 million in funding restored to Baltimore schools and passage of her bill to more evenly divide child custody for divorced parents.
The Baltimore Sun reports Ms. Carter as saying she's got more important things to do than help deliver equality to Maryland residents:
But Carter said there are "more important, or at least equally important" issues that she would like to see fast-tracked in the way that, in her view, gay marriage has been. And she said that until she hears from House leadership, she does not plan to cast a committee vote in favor of the Civil Marriage Protection Act.
What's really going on in Maryland? Is it possible that an out-of-state special interest group is meddling in the local politics? Has National Organization for Marriage been twisting arms? Reports are coming in that Delegates in the House are collaborating in distributing materials from known hate groups.
The Maryland House of Delegates website lists Jill Carter's contact information as:
(410) 841-3283
(301) 858-3283
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3283 (toll free)
Email Jill Carter
Concerned parties might be inclined to ask Ms. Carter who exactly is setting her priorities for her? An well-funded, out-of-state special interest hate group? Or her concern for Maryland citizens?