The Maryland Senate returns shortly, at 9:00 am (EST), to continue debate on SB 279. You should be able to listen to the debate at this LINK, however, I kept getting an error message in my attempts yesterday.
You can also follow the action via Baltimore Sun reporter Andy Green's twitters.
Both the Baltimore Sun's Maryland Politics blog and the Washington Post's Maryland Moment blog are promising updates.
Let's turn to coverage of yesterday's debate.
Baltimore County senators rebuffed an effort to abolish Maryland's
death penalty yesterday, persuading lawmakers instead to restrict when
capital punishment can be used.
The Senate's first full debate on the death penalty in more than three decades was cut short when amendments stripped the word repeal
out of a repeal initiative, prompting confusion on the floor.
Exasperated senators rose one after another to say that they weren't
sure what they were voting on.
"What we are getting is a real mess," said Sen. Delores G. Kelley, a
Baltimore County Democrat. Added Sen. Nathaniel J. McFadden, a
Baltimore Democrat and a senator for 14 years: "Very obviously, this is
not one of the high points in the Senate."
Debate was to resume this morning. There is a pile of amendments for
senators to sort through, followed by a preliminary vote on the amended
plan.
Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller had predicted such disorder.
Earlier in the day, death penalty opponents used a rare procedural move
to resurrect repeal legislation even though a Senate committee had
killed the measure last week. Miller, a death penalty supporter who
typically keeps tight control over the Senate, said he allowed the
unusual maneuver as a courtesy to Gov. Martin O'Malley, a fellow
Democrat who wants repeal.
Miller noted a wave of e-mail messages by O'Malley and the governor's
use of Democratic Party resources to further the repeal effort. "I
don't think any previous governor has politicized the death penalty in
such a manner," Miller said.
In response, O'Malley said that he was proud of having fostered
"civil debate" on death penalty repeal. "I don't think any senator I've
met with would tell you that I've been twisting arms or breaking legs,"
he said.
The governor said restrictions on the death penalty such as those
approved yesterday were a "move forward" and an "improvement," though
he held out hope that repeal might be considered again this morning.
"Changes dilute Md. bill to repeal death penalty," is John Wagner's report in today's Washington Post.
The Maryland Senate gutted Gov. Martin O'Malley's bill to repeal the death penalty yesterday, moving instead during a chaotic debate toward raising the standards of evidence required in capital cases.
With a pair of amendments, O'Malley's bill was dramatically altered to prohibit death sentences based solely on eyewitness testimony and to require either biological evidence, videotaped confessions or videotaped crimes to proceed with capital cases.
"It may be the best we can do," said Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Montgomery), chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee who supported the repeal sought by O'Malley (D). "I'd like something more, but it will make it harder to get the death penalty."
Debate is set to resume this morning, with consideration of additional amendments and an uncertain outcome.
Speaking to reporters last night, O'Malley said the bill with the new evidence requirement would be "a move forward" but acknowledged that it fell well short of what he is seeking.
Earlier coverage begins here.
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