 After much debate, a law permitting same-sex marriage was passed by the General Assembly (Maryland's bicameral Legislature, composed of the Senate and House of Delegates) in February 2012 and signed on March 1, 2012.The law took effect on January 1, 2013 after 52.4% of voters approved a statewide referendum held on November 6, 2012.The vote was hailed as a watershed moment by gay rights activists and marked the first time marriage rights in the United States have been extended to same-sex couples by popular vote.