is facing a slew of issues this session. >> i'm peggy fox in richmond where virginia's general assembly has kicked off with high hopes of legislation sponsored by republicans. for only the second time since the civil war -- >> the house of delegates is now in session. >> republicans control the general assembly and the governor's mansion. that change in balance could hurt northern virginia especially in education funding. >> the governor is trying to siphon 100 million a year from our schools and use it to pave roads. those of us in northern virginia and across virginia who care about education have a real problem with that. >> even springfield republican is critical of the governor's plan to remove funds northern virginia schools use to pay teachers a competitive wage. >> it costs more to live in fairfax county. they want to cut out the cost to compete bonuses in the budget, which we have to fight tooth and nail. >> in richmond, peggy fox, 9news now. >> tonight, governor mcdonnell will address the general assembly in his annual state of the commonwealth address. he will lay out his spe

this request comes on the eve of a new session of the general assembly. it is not surprise the governor went down memory lane to make his point. >> this year and the state budget, we will be asking the general assembly to approve a $372 million investment in school construction. >> the governor made his pitch at germantown elementary. that is for students and staff members move into a new building in august. >> my class met -- my classmates are so lucky to have this new school. the new school must mean if we are premier students, we deserve a premier school. >> the governor is convinced spending more will also help boost the local economy. >> not only to improve your education but to improve this learning environment and to create jobs. this investment will support 11,650 jobs of people doing important work that everyone in our state needs and quality schools. >> the proposal could run into trouble in a year were the state would be forced to make budget cuts. the governor knows he can count on the speaker of the house to push two construction package. >>

i suggest this should not be the status quo session for the virginia general assembly. i can't ask you to fix every problem in the short time we have together this session. i can ask you to fix some big ones. we must do more to spur private sector job creation. we must reform our pension system now

. >> scott broom has been tracking all of the developments in the general assembly's first day in annapolis and he'll have a live report on that later at 6:15. >> meantime, tonight on 9news now at 7:00, the voters will have one less candidate to choose from in maryland's fourth district. glenn ivey has officially dropped out and we'll tell you why he decided to do that. anita. >> we'll look guard to that at 7:00. topper. >> moderate rain here in the northwest. the rain is picking up in intensity and it's going to be with us for a while. you can access this on our website at wusa9.com. we have rain across the board. up 270, out 266 and down 95 toward fredericksburg. it's not going anywhere. it will become heavier. 45 right now downtown. 43 in gaithersburg and leesburg and 45 also in manassas. temperatures are not going to go down. they are going to level off. in fact, mild with heavy rain. tapering to showers. lows in the 40 s. winds will become southwesterly. we'll come back and talk about a mild thursday and then here comes the arctic air. >>> and still ahead on 9news now. public humiliati

he had been in the general assembly since 1989 and let republicans since 2003.ight now because of death is still unknown. >> buried under 15 feet of snow tonight, it is one alaska town. they are pleading for help. >> what the city needs now more than food and water. >> now is a great time to consider playing the lottery in maryland. i will explain coming up. >> we have rain coming our way. some of it may be heavy. right now in baltimore, unseasonably mild weather >> coming up tonight, a chase and the crash in hartford county ended with a death of a father. in a preview of this year's general assembly. >> you may have heard the new year bringing changes to the maryland lottery. >> 2012 brings the baltimore ravens another chance at the super bowl. it gives maryland another chance of winning after the baltimore ravens cash fantasy ticket. >> it will be on sale at the stadium. you can get it at every retailer and the state. the on-line promotion and the real big kicker for that is a chance to win $1 million which will draw after the super bowl. >> tickets are $5 and

i suggest this should not be the status quo session for the virginia general assembly. i can't ask you to fix every problem in the short time we have together this session. i can ask you to fix some big ones. we must do more to spur private sector job creation. we must reform our pension system now. so that it will be there for the hundreds of thousands of virginians depending on it. we must make our k-12 education system more accountable and innovative now. so all of our students get a world class education. we must complete higher education reform and investment now some more students can get we must improve our transportation maintenance amount system now so that citizens can get to their jobs and to their families without delay. and we must pass a fiscally responsible structurally balanced budget on time that provides the liquidity that we need for the years that lie ahead. [ applause ] >> and i want to applaud the work of delegate putney and the leaders in both parties for proposing the reforms needed and the timely decision making and reduce drama. thank you.appla

>> the 2012 general assembly session begins and there's a lot on tap. >> mitt romney celebrates his and makes history in the process. >> what do you think about the content on prime-time television? too racy? that is our water cooler question of the day. >> looks like a roller-coaster ride of weather and temperatures. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. i'm mindy basara. >> and i'm stan stovall. thank you for joining us this morning. >> what is the deal for today? >> it has been a roller- coaster. we've been on the uphill ride of the roller-coaster. now we have to make a way back down. physics. let's get to the weather pattern. we do have some clouds in place. 28 degrees at the airport. the wind is mostly calm. the rain arrives in the afternoon after 1:00 p.m. temperatures will be into the mid 40's. mild air pushes in with that storm. >> good morning. a nice start with one exception. at boston's st., we have some fire activ

you should not want to pass this on to another general assembly. our responsibility is here. that is why i propose the largest employer contribution to the virginia retirement system in history. recommending $2.21 billion in total funding for state employees and teachers. now this more than doubles the amount that we put in the retirement system in the last budget. the state is now going to do its part. localities will have to fund their share of the teachers retirement. since teachers are local employees. and local governments have the duty to fund their share of the system. doing the right thing at the state level is not an unfunded mandate on our localities. the rates have been set and the bills are now due. in this new state cash infusion will not fix the problems with the retirement system. to ensure a stable retirement system in the decades ahead, state employees who really do a phenomenal job for us every day, will be asked to accept some changes and adjustments to the vrs plan. in the days ahead, i will announce a number of very specific vrs reform proposals to ensure

. >>> a preview of what is in store as lawmakers meet in the general assemblies in maryland and virginia. >>> take a look outside right now. you can just see the silhouette of the national cathedral on this wednesday morning. temperatures are a little cool, right around the freezing mark. glad you're with us this morning. happy wednesday. i'm steve chenevey. >> i'm sarah simmons. thank you for watching fox 5 morning news. let's check in with tony perkins now. he has the latest on our weather and a little bit of rain moving in. we'll get some rain moving in here later on today. i think during the early afternoon hours is when will begin to see that. you might not need the umbrella this morning. later on, you will probably need it on your way home from work. we'll show you where the precipitation is. it is to our south and west. it will be pushing in here during the course of the day. there are some areas of heavy rain. there have been with this system for the last couple of days. and there is some thunderstorms going on across portions of the southern united states. see some of that flash

street patriots poured in the public park inserted right back up where they left off with the general assembly meeting for the latest on the rebirth of the occupy wall street encampment in zuccotti park in the latest on the movement in general i'm joined from new york by sarah jeffrey the associate editor at alternate kristin going at it tauriel assistant also alternate sarah kristen welcome. dissonance thanks for coming on personal with you you were the park last night and when the barricades came down as i wrote. not when the barricades came down i was there later and later in the evening what was it was the mood like what was going on what was the general assembly you know what was being discussed. when i got there it was after the general assembly and they were still having meetings to discuss what to do that night and over the next couple of days because a lot of people were really just taken by surprise that they were all exist dreamily excited and felt that they had achieved a huge victory for the movement and the people and public space and general also right now what they're trying to

lieutenant governor den and president pro tem, speaker gilligan members of the 146th general assembly other elected officials, members of the judiciary, members of the cabinet, our employees, carla, and the people of delaware in my previous reports on the state of the state i spoke to you of turbulent seas and winter blizzard blizzards. and these images captured the moment as we fought through the worst economic downturn since the great depression. and this economic storm posed particular challenges for delaware industries upon which we had depended for decades, like financial services, and automotive manufacturing. but it made landfall in every corner of our nation. and while delaware was not alone in facing this storm, the way we responded was unique. the politics of blame and division the rhetoric of distrust and the partisan warfare witnessed elsewhere never found a home in our state. instead, we pulled together and we prepared for the future. and leaning on speaker gilligan's 40 years of experience. the leadership of both parties in this general assembly worked with us and we mad

. >>> maryland's general assembly convenes today in annapolis. issue number one will be finding a way to close a billion dollar budget deficit. ideas include a 16-cent a gallon in the gas tax, increasing fees on car registration, inspection and titling. other options may include raising the property tax rate, passing a statewide bag tax and expanding gambling in the state. >>> the new legislative session for the virginia general assembly also kicks off today. the republicans may try to take over. there are 20 democrats and 20 republicans right now. republicans currently hold 6 # of the 100 seats in the virginia house -- 68 of the to hundred seats in the virginia house. >>> in d.c., no more free parking. that is the message when it comes to disabled driver. instead, new disabled parking will be provided. we have a report. >> reporter: finding a spot to park in d.c. isn't easy especially when the district says people are abusing the disabled free parking policy. >> really frustrating t make you not want to come over here. >> reporter: fox 5 reporte

academy foundation" in the city is closed due to no heat. 3 3 3 3 3 3 it is day one of the 2012 general assembly in annapolis. lawmakers have a lot of work to do over the next few months as maryland faces a projected one billion dollar deficit deficitmegan gilliland is streaming now... from our state's capital with more on how they're planning to settle that debt. debt.good morning patrice, there's no question that something has to be done in the next 90 days of this years general assembly.higher taxes and fees are expected to dominate the session.with one in particular taking top priori. priority..nd that's the gas tax.one proposal... calls for a 15-cent hike over three years. governor o'malley supports some type of increase in the gas tax... he says those projects will boost employment. (governor) "and we're not going to do a duck and cover, run and hide from radical tea party types that think that taxes are like the plague or the famine." famine." it's been 20 years since the gas tax was raised.but some republicaas believe, it's just too much of an increase... and too much for marylanders to

"national academy foundation" in the city is closed due to no heat. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 the 2012 general assembly begins today in annapolis. lawmakers are facing a projected one billion dollar de. deficit.megan gilliland is live from our state's capital with more on hoo they're expecting to ettle that ebt. debt.good morning patrice, there's no question that something has to be done in the next 90 days of this years general assembly.higher taxes and fees are expected to dominate the session.with one in pprticular taking top priori. priority.and that's the gas tax.one proposal... calls for a 15-cent hike over three years. governor o'malley supports some type of increase in the gas tax... he says those projects... will boost employment. (governor) "the biggest challenge is job creation and making sure we make the right decision so that we can continue to accelerate maryland's jobs recovery." (afzali) "i can't understand how you can be for the middle class and for poor and then try to them with raising such a huge expense for them which is their gas." gas."the governor says he won't shirk his respons

"the washington examiner" reports governor martin o'malley and the general assembly are feeling pressure to hike tax on the rich as part of a way to close a budget gap of a billion dollars for the fourth straight year. union members are urging maryland lawmakers to reinstate the o so-called millionaire's tax. it is a surcharge that o'malley initiated in 2008 on the state's wealthiest residents. that extra tax raised income tax rates by 14% on residents who made more than a million dollars a year but it went away in 2010. maryland has the highest share of millionaires in the nation. more than 7% of households, some republicans and economists say after it is implemented, the number of millionaires filing tax returns plunged leading to the conclusion that they moved out of state. we're going to see this argument in a lot of states. we're already seeing it right now. we'll have to see what happened in maryland. >> we saw how that went with the federal government. it caused a standoff. thanks, jess. >>> gastric bypass versus the gastric banding procedure. which one do you think is better for

the general assembly of virginia comes in next week, not this week but the following week and they would have to act almost immediately and 80% of

civilweek we propose a sim marriage law in the general assembly and we seek to get it done this year.> the governor addressed a national conference in downtown baltimore this weekend. he feels this bill has more specific wording to protect religious institutions. he said compassion, understanding, and justice are needed in the debate over same- sex marriage. >> it is the dignity of a free and diverse people who at the end of the day all want the same thing for their children -- for their children to be able to live in a loving and a caring and a stable home that is protected equally under the law. >> mike miller has said he predicts the bill to pass by the same margin in the senate this year. the governor hopes the new wording will help sway enough members of the house to get it through in 2012. the senate judicial proceedings committee will hold its first hearing on this bill tomorrow. live in the studio, kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> take care. stay on top of what is going on with your tax dollars each and every day of the session with david collins. he has session previews on our

we'll be back right after the break. >>> i'm scott broom, we talked about the general assembly. when we come back at 6:00, it will be my turn here in maryland where governor martin o'malley surprised everyone on opening day by floating the idea of a penny hike in the sales tax to go along with even more talk about a hike in gas taxes and waste water taxes. when i come back at 6:00, we'll have an explanation and reaction. >> and caught on tape tonight, a dramatic high speed chase down in texas. the camera inside the police cruiser sees it all happen. officers chasing this car after occupants stole 300 pounds worth of a big face and threw it in the trunk. the suspect thought their best chance would be to go on foot. they slammed on the brakes in the middle of the highway and ran across the highway. sadly for them, the police were faster on foot than they thought. we can jump out of our cars, too. okay, let's be real. >> okay, now there was a most unusual scene today during the pope's weekly general audience at the vatican. >> a zoo in rome gave pope benedict xvi a young crocodile.

. >>> a big day in annapolis as maryland's general assembly session begins, ron matz is live with more on what issues we can expect to see and hear about. good afternoon. >> reporter: good afternoon, don. we know that several hot button issues are on the agenda. lawmakers are expected to discuss legalizing same sex marriage in maryland. an issue that passed in the senate but stalled in the house. also on the lest an increase in the gas tax and investing in infrastructure to create jobs. governor martin o'malley is asking them to approve 370 million dollars for school construction. back to you. >> thank you very much, ron. >>> wjz is in annapolis of course and will have much more coming up at 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00. >>> the republican race for the white house moves to south carolina with mitt romney leading the pack, 2-2 after winning in new hampshire and iowa, but as randall pinkston reports there are a whole new set of challenges. >> reporter: mitt romney took a victory lap before heading south for his toughest battle yet. a win in south carolina hinges on support from both conservatives

ovary year the general assembly meets from january through april. long ago many legislators were farmers. it was easier for them to be here in the winter. >> the system has been in place since colonial times. >> reporter: he has reside over a record 26 years. he respects the historic traditions of our legislature. >> we've been around a long time. >> reporter: the chambers will review bills and send them to commit. both chambers must agree on a particular bill and the governor must sign it into law. >> and support the constitution. >> reporter: it take has lot of people to make this run smoothly. he is one of them. he will read the bills. rose has to be on his toes and prepared for anything. >> always lots of changes, but that's part of the process, you know. you never know what's coming. >> reporter: 90 days from now the con feet thy will fall and legislators will look at close to 3,000 bills, all of them organized and informed by the big board. in annapolis, don harrison, abc2 news. >> there are several hot button issues including same-sex marriag

. >> this has been a sleeper issue in the general assembly. in the past two sessions it has just languished. however, opponents believe this is the year for the repeal. scores of demonstrators descended upon the state house in annapolis, calling for an end to maryland's death penalty. even though rally organizers failed to get a permit for the law, and police ordered them across the street, it did not diminish. grex the prosecutors make mistakes. the police make mistakes. but you do not take one life for another life. >> she was the set -- is the sister of an inmate that was executed in the fall. he and his supporters contend he is a victim of mistaken identity. while his case raises questions about his testimony, the dna exonerated another inmate. but not until he lost years of his life in jail. >> time is over. what we need today is in strong leadership to make this thing happen. it is about time. just after they've fixed the death penalty, they said the might still have a chance of executing an innocent person. >> in 2009, the general assem

i called a general assembly into special session, folks from across the state. urban and rural, democrats and republicans came together and worked with us to pass the missouri manufacturing jobs act. you know something? it has paid off. yes, it has. last october ford announced that it will invest $1.1 billion at clay como -- [ applause ] that's a bill -- billion with a "b."

that's why we propose a civil marriage law in the general assembly of maryland and we seek to get it done this year. [ applause ] >> reporter: many proponents believes it stand has better shot at passing but it would meet the very same opposition that sunk it last year. >> i'm definitely opposed to same-sex marriage. no ifs, ends or buts about it. >> reporter: one of the men leading the charge is emmet burns, part of the progressive ministers against same-sex marriage. he said it is more organized this year and will fight against what he calls the slippery slope the governor's bill presents. >> let them be as they want to be and what they want to be, but don't come here telling me to marry you, because you are man and man and woman and woman, no. that goes against every ethical, moral understanding that we've had throughout the centuries. >> reporter: but this is a new century that may bring about a new understanding, an argument that both sides are lining up to fight this week in annapolis. in baltimore, brian kuebler. >> only home said the bill he will introduce strikes a balance,

both virginia and maryland general assemblies open their 2012 sessions today. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. you can expect a very lively 90- day session in the maryland general assembly with some very hot button issues and some delegates with their eyes on congress. let's talk about the top issues. job creation one of those. the governor has proposed a record $350 million education fund. that's the highest in the state. they're also taking a look at same-sex marriage. of course the governor supports that proposal. however, you can expect a lot of the delegates with their eyes on congress really shying away from that controversial issue. another controversial issue, the casinos. folks are looking at a six came -- sixth casino possibly in the national harbor area. of course that has been a controversial subject in maryland for several years at this point. another issue that has been coming up for debate year after year of course we're talking about the death penalty. this year the naacp is moving in. >> people care deeply about this issue, this notion

now, thanks to the leadership of all four caucuses, the general assembly has made significant progress over the last three years in making the legislative branch more transparent. legislative committees are now subject to open meeting requirements. last year, our budget was completed and posted online, well before june 30. now, transparency needs to extend to the way the lobbyists do business here at legislative hall. which is why my administration will team up with president pro tem deluca and speaker gilligan and blevins and schwarzkopf to provide some common sense measures we hope you'll support. citizens deserve to know who is lobbying and what they're lobbying for. we will make it soon with the new online reporting tool, where citizens can see by piece of legislation which lobbyists are advocating for their clients. and we have been successful in pulling together in tough times in no small part because of faith and the responsiveness of delaware government. the trust of people and their state government should not be undermined by a perception that lobbyists have hidden access her

>> if approved, the study findings would be submitted before the start of next year's general assembly session. >>> police are on the lookout for a suspicious man who has been hanging out near an elementary school. the kids at clermont elementary in alexandria say they have seen the same man five times since december. police say he's watched and called out to students. he hasn't done anything wrong, but his behavior is considered strange, so police are hoping to talk with him. meanwhile parents are talking with their kids about the possibility of stranger danger. >> i used to let him go to the playground by himself, but now i just have to be with him all the time and watch him. >> they love school, but we've been telling them they have to be careful. don't walk with strangers. reporter: police say the man drives an old red pickup truck. parents are meeting at the school this evening to talk about these latest incidents. >>> today police issued an arrest warrant for a woman suspected of robbing an elderly woman in langley park. she's identified as 48-year-old linda mccorkle. police say

maryland's general assembly is also set to take up some hotly debated issues in the new session.hey include legalizing same sex marriage and gambling. he surprised observers by increasing sales tax saying it will help the budget shortfall. but mcdonald has called that idea a non-starter. >>> how would you like to wake up in the morning and smell your neighbor's chicken coup. >>> and twinkies. sadly it may be coming soon. we'll explain. >>> the back yard chicken battle has come to arlington county where some residents are crying foul over what they described as excessively strict laws governing chicken farming. >> this is becoming more popular and tonight a debate at a university. matt jablow has details. >> you start with a good egg and you can't go wrong. >> reporter: tom carter loves eating eggs. all kinds. >> i've recently learned how to cook with them. >> reporter: he is now hoping to raise chickens in his back yard so fresh eggs will always be available to him and his family. >> if you feed them properly, the eggs will be much healthier than what you get at the grocery store

and thanks to the legislation passed by this general assembly, and an executive order that i signed a few months ago, quote, you have come to the wrong place will no longer be an acceptable answer to request for public records from the executive branch of government. i urge our counties and our towns and school districts to join us in this commitment to transparency. now, thanks to the leadership of all four caucuses, the general assembly has made significant progress over the last three years in making the legislative branch more transparent. legislative committees are now subject to open meeting requirements. last year, our budget was completed and posted online, well before june 30. now, transparency needs to extend to the way the lobbyists do business here at legislative hall. which is why my administration will team up with president pro tem deluca and speaker gilligan and blevins and schwarzkopf to provide some common sense measures we hope you'll support. citizens deserve to know who is lobbying and what they're lobbying for. we will make it soon with the new online reporting t

. >>> the maryland general assembly will kick off the legislative session tomorrow. elected leaders have a lot on their plate. governor o'malley wants education to be the top priority. today, o'malley travelled to german town elementary school where he announced he will perform a big increase in school construction is. the last legislators to prove more than $370 million the next fiscal year. and the investment in school construction will help children, teachers, and create jobs. >> so, an investment like the one that we are proposing to the general assembly to consider the next 90 days is we, we estimate we'll -- this investment will support 11,650 jobs and -- . >> the other big issues will include redistricting proposals for same-sex marriage, testify tougher environmental laws -- tougher environmental laws and a higher gas tax. we'll have more as they begin their legislative sessions tomorrow. >>> supporters of army private bradley manning accused of leaking confidential information to a website put up a billboard. the d.c. sign says free bradley manning. it's up

with the maryland general assembly opening its 430th session this morning.herrie johnson live with details at coppy state university -- coppin state university, remembering a remarkable young man. >>> first the forecast with justin. >> good morning. 6:45. the last 45 minutes from our time lapse camera here at the naval academy. looking at clouds just off to the south. looks like we still have enough clearing overhead, beautiful sunrise. you'll probably see more color in the the sky the further south you go. overall we have temperature this morning ranging from dundalk 33, one of the warmest spots, matching westminster, freezing in eldersburg, though you flip the numbers and 23 in ellicott city and 20s across the board. it's a cold and clear morning. there are clouds to the west and south. mount airy in dc by the way you might get a beautiful sunrise. moisture to the south moves in, in the afternoon and evening. overcast afternoon and turning wet, mid-50s. >>> 6:46. here's angela. >> getting busy as we continue to follow the accident southbound route 3 at sai

for charges of trying to extort the family. >>> maryland general assembly. political reporter pat warren reports, a bill is being introduced as caylee's law. >> reporter: since she was found innocent of the death of her daughter in july, casey anthony has been made famous for a video diary that popped occupy -- up on you tube. some maryland lawmakers are using her as an example to change laws. the video showing her, to phone calls to the maryland general assembly. >> we have just never seen so much response to a trial that took place in florida. i can't tell you how many telephone calls i received over the time. i mean, it was just incredible. >> reporter: casey anthony did not report her child missing until 31 days after her child disappeared. >> it is just negligence. >> reporter: susan almond is sponsoring a bill in the house for a parent or guardian to fail to reported -- report the child missing in 24 hours. >> if you don't bother to find out where your children are, this is where this law is pertaining to. the fact that you just have no regard for thei

we're live in alexandria, ken molestina, 9news now. >> and that is a general assembly session a lot of us would like to see. thank you, ken. that will be an interesting debate. >>> tonight two metro employees are charged with stealing thousands of dollars from the transit system one nickel, dime and quarter at a time. they were designed to collect cash from the machines. they would arrange the schedules so he would be keeping an eye on each other. the two men conspired for years to siphon off a hundred of thousands of dollars. the police officer put unexplained money in his bank account. >> i am disgusted by the events that have taken place by these two employees. >> metro has relieved the supervisor of his duties and has lost a top to bottom audit. metro is doing everything they can to make sure this never happens again. >>> an update now on the elderly victim robbed in prince george's county. today police issued an arrest warrant for linda mccorckle. they believe she targeted an elderly woman last week. she had three small children with her when she approached the victim saying she n

. >>> the general assemblies in both maryland and virginia head back to work. stacy cohan has more. >> reporter: one governor is warning lawmakers to play nice and another is trying to find ways to raise some revenue. let's start in maryland. governor martin o'malley has education on his mind with a push to build more schools but how to pay for that is a problem. lawmaker there may consider hiking the gas tax, property taxes, or even expanding gambling to cover lost revenue during the tight economy. meanwhile, over in virginia, republican governor bob mcdonnell is asking gop lawmakers to avoid arrogance this session. republicans now hold 68 out of 100 seats in the house and exactly half of the 40 senate seats. there are expected to push an aggressive conservative agenda with restricts on abortion and relaxation of gun control laws. in the statewide address at 7:00 p.m., governor mcdonnell is expected to name job creation as a top priority and also expected to hear him address traffic problems and ways to show you are the virginia retirement system. >> thank you

this time last year the general assembly decide working on a bill. that's not the case this year. david collins is covering the issue and has more from annapolis. >> the marriage equality bill does not have an official name, but aides to the governor say it is stronger than last year because it strengthens exemptions. >> we want to say that all maryland children deserve to be in a home so when we hit life's toughest times, medical decisions, end of life decisions, all the things that happen when life throws you a curveball. those are the protections of marriage, and it should extend to every family. >> opponents are under a new name, the maryland marriage alliance. one of the most outspoken opponents use a cueses the government of using the issue as a distraction. >> i think the proponents of gay marriage are going to be furious if this bill fails and they find out the governor used it as a smoke screen to hide the other issues that are much more critical. >> the politicalland landscape has changed. new york state joined five other states in legalized same-sex marriage. martin o'm

. >> a warning from the chief analyst from the maryland general assembly. lawmakers need to prepare for that is comingain from budget cuts. a mix of spending reductions and budget cuts. tax increases and a shift for some future pension costs to the county. our coverage continues on our wbaltv.com website. click on 2012. 42 degrees on tv hill. a young girl missing after findifalling into icy waters. >> joran van der sloot back in court. of 100. is 95 north th a bit of congestion. >> welcome back. 46 degrees downtown. no ice to talk about. you can see the fog. the fog will clear up in two or three hours. 44 at the airport. above freezing in taneytown. 36 in parkton. we'll start with low clouds and fog and the skies will gradually clear with a high near 52. we will come back and check the seven-day forecast going into the weekend. >> the attorney of joran van der sloot plans to appeal the sentence. he claimed the judge did not take into account his client never denied killing a woman in may of 2010. that was also the anniversary of the missing of natalee hollo

i appreciate it. >> i want to read everybody the amendment that was passed by the general assembly in on a resolution calling for "raising the level, this is a language from the new york occupation last week. we resolve to firmly establish that money is not speech. human beings are persons entitled to constitutional rights and the rights of human beings will never be grant odd to fictitious entities or property. give us briefly what the background is in terms of the rational for the choice of that language at the new york general assembly. >> right. well, as i have been talking to you about in the past, i have been talking to organizers throughout the country. i'm out here in l.a. now. and, you know, i'm looking -- everyone is working hard 24/7 fighting a battle here. sbleep is hard to come by. from a personal perspective, i'm at a place where i can't sustain being pulled in a thousand different ways. i'm trying to focus my energy into talking to organizers and see where we can find common ground. and obviously, occupy wall street is bigger than one issue. but, you know, if you peel b

the with the demand like that is the occupies all over the country will be meeting convening general assembling discussing and figuring out what they want to do it has been we had a solidarity march this sunday in d.c. and in several cities around the nation in new york and philly and boston and several others to go we're all in this together and we were united against the police. the thank you all very much for being with us thank you. who knows what will happen in the nation's capital and i but as we've seen in the past over and over again excessive police force against the occupy movement has only made it stronger so stay tuned. just. it's the good the bad and the very oxy oxy i have faces silly ugly. good president obama president obama's re-election campaign is a refund in the campaign donations of five registered federal lobbyist made contributions to the campaign between april and september of last year research conducted by the center for responsive politics show that the obama campaign except the twenty two hundred fifty bucks from five lobbyists as well as forty five hundred dollars f

better and force the death penalty and who should face it and in e-mail to the north carolina general assembly said that we need to make that out penalty a real deterrent again by actually carrying it out every appeal that can be made should have to be made a one time not a serial manner to murderers and i would include abortionists rapists and kidnappers as well are actually executed it will at least have the deterrent effect upon them for my money we should go back to probably hang the outcry for abortion as to face public anger is nothing new with legislation being introduced in multiple states over the past few years there was centrally legalized the murder of abortion providers by protecting those who kill not to mention bill o'reilly's obsession with dr george tiller who you referred to as tiller the baby killer culminated with a madman eventually shooting tiller dead in church state representative larry pittman should watch his words who tragically may have a lot on his hands one day and that's very very. after the break the california legislature voted friday on a single payer health c

>> these are men and women who all have been elected independently who come to the maryland general assembly, trying to do the right thing in every vote, voting with principal and also voting as the honest representatives of the opinions of the people that they are elected to serve. >> more details are available on our website, wbaltv.com. kim dacey, wbal-tv 11 news. >> thank you. president obama will deliver his third and final state of the union address of his term tonight. kate amara has more on the story from washington. >> before a joint session of congress tonight, president barack obama will deliver his third state of the union address. the speech is expected to focus on the economy. >> in a lot of ways, my address on tuesday will be a book end to what i said in kansas last month. [cheers] i believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, when everyone plays by the same rules. >> the address comes in the middle of an election year, and the president is promoting the speech on his campaign youtube channel. >> i wanted to share wit

that is why we have a general assembly process.s city spends more money on its police and social services. we are not out there protesting, we're protesting because people need food, shelter and education. >> i felt that things went well until the police started with tear gas. at that point, there was more nervousness. there was more residents in the crowd. if the police would have held that it would of been better. started firing. >>ysabel: occupiers clashed with police at the kaiser convention center belief is- just between 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.. 19 people were arrested at this point in the day. >>marty: all of this happened as a second recall petition drive starts against me and jean quan. the organizers will be out collecting signatures in an effort to oust the mayor. rule they say kwon is handled the occupy movement and that she has not been an effective leader. since this could lead to a special election or on a general election ballot come november. with >>ysabel: we are going outside to take a live look out letters. it was a

. >> the maryland general assembly is back to work today.ut there is a new twist. >> in falls church, va., by people in this neighborhood are concerned about a trend that could be brewing. >> you are watching abc7 news at 5 on your side. >> the search is on for a man who brought a woman at gunpoint. >> the woman was held up as to try to get to work hard -- get to her car. it is a problem, some fear, will get worse. >> the reason why it is right here. you can see along the start sidewalk, and people are walking home from that metro stop. a lot of people are parked along ko'd street because there is construction along the metro. >> this is not just for her locker. >> if i see someone suspicious -- >> she knows a woman was robbed after she left the dunn lorring metro. >> i am pretty cautious. " the robbery took place several blocks from the metro stop. the victim got off the train around 7:20 and walked alone to her car. >> a man approached her with a gun. >> the woman was not physically hurt and ran to the neighbors to call police. this kind o

our big nonhierarchical meeting where thousands over two thousand folks i think were at the general assembly at noon and so that was really awesome we had a lot of great conversations about where the movements now and where we're going and then in the afternoon we took some actions inside the halls of congress for some people had opportunities to meet with their congress people if they wanted or just protest through the halls of rejecting the current system that we are living under and that it was the awesome protest of the evening rejecting the current system what would you replace it with what would you replace it with a system where corporate money and power. in the financial money is really not controlling our system to weaken their system or change you know changing the way the system works as opposed to you know tearing down ben you're a tenor living in the person where yes and the mayor is talking about moving you guys over to liberty plaza. another group over there and what's you know what's going on here what's i think that you're going to do the two groups have been able to work to

i think, pat, in the end, yes, there may be some blocks and some barriers in the general assembly asher he's going to get this sales tax fully into operation. i think it will be a compromise. >> it's amazing, republicans constantly charge democrats as being tax-raisers, big spenders. here are the maryland democrats raising taxes. and yet, the maryland republican party is perceived as so weak and not really thoroughly able to flex its muscles enough that, in maryland, the thinking is they'll probably get their sales tax. and the question is, how much criticism might there be from independents who aren't democrats or republicans but who are fiscal conservatives? that's going to be the interesting thing to watch. >> now, the governor said he would like to have a sales tax increase. >> right. >> he hasn't put that on the table yet. there are tax hikes in the wings. >> no, i didn't mean to suggest -- >> gas tax and flush tax we expect to be put on the table. >> and listen, there's something else we have to consider here, and that is, to dave's point, with regard to tax increases, the fact

was written by corporations and inserting it into bills there and you do sing in the virginia general assembly with no disclosure that they were not the original authors of that legislative language there's no requirement for them to schools that there's no requirement but of legislators in virginia do frequently disclose if a bill has been requested by a constituent by a local legislative body like a board of supervisors or something like that none of the legislators seem to be interested in disclosing that legislation was written for them by allies of the best your knowledge is virginia unique in this and. i know there's a lot of legislation floating around the country but it was a situation much worse there than in other states and if so is there something about the virginia legislature that makes it more vulnerable to the sort of thing bridget is certainly not unique in this legislation has been are introduced around the country i think virginia is in a couple of unique situations the first of which is that we have a part time legislature like many states that meets for a very short time o

the maryland general assembly.tical reporter pat warren reports the bill is now being introduced as caylee's law. >> reporter: since she was found innocent in july of the death of her daughter caylee, casey has made waves with a video posted on the internet. some maryland lawmakers are using her example as a reason to make some changes themselves. the fate of the 2-year-old sparked national outrage from this casey anthony dunk tank featured at a fair to phone calls to the maryland general assembly. >> we have just never seen such response to a trial that took place in florida. i can't tell you how much telephone calls i've received over the time. it was just incredible. >> reporter: casey anthony did not respond her child missing until 31 days after caylee disappeared. >> it's just negligence. >> if you make absolutely no attempt and you don't bother at all to try to find out where your children are, this is where this law is pertaining to. the fact that you just have no regard for their health or welfare. and espe