Legislation legalizing same-sex marriage in Maryland is scheduled to get a Senate committee vote Tuesday, with a floor vote expected later this week.

The Civil Marriage Protection Act passed the House of Delegates, 72-67, on Friday evening, capping a tumultuous week in which it picked up two Republican votes but lost a Democratic one because a delegate had emergency surgery.

The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee is scheduled to vote on the House version of the bill at noon Tuesday, said Sen. Brian Frosh (D-Dist. 19) of Bethesda, who chairs the the committee.

The bill is expected to get a favorable committee report, and could go to the Senate floor as early as Wednesday, Frosh said.

Similar legislation passed the Senate, 25-21, last year, but failed to get a final vote in the House. This year’s bill also is expected to pass the Senate, Frosh said.

Opponents might pick up an additional vote from a senator who was absent last year, but he doubted any votes have changed, Frosh said.

Last year, Sen. Joanne C. Benson (D-Dist. 24) of Landover, who opposed the measure, was not present when the vote was called, and her vote was not recorded.

Sen. Nancy Jacobs (R-Dist. 34) of Abingdon, who opposes the bill, said she has been told there might be one or two additional ‘nay’ votes on the Senate floor this year, but didn’t know for certain.

The bill probably would face amendments on the floor, including one providing for civil unions rather than marriage, Jacobs said.

But supporters, including Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Dist. 11) of Owings Mills, a co-sponsor and committee member, expect the bill to pass smoothly.

“I don’t anticipate any challenges in the committee,” said Zirkin, who was one of seven senators who voted the bill out of committee last year; four committee members voted against. “I haven’t heard that anyone has changed their mind,” he said.

The final House version of the bill included two amendments: One delayed the effective date of the legislation from October until January 2013, after a voter referendum that the bill is expected to face in November; the other declared the law would not take effect until after any potential litigation stemming from a referendum effort had been resolved.

The first amendment was proposed by Del. Wade Kach (R-Dist. 5B) of Cockeysville, who announced his support of the bill last week, as did fellow Republican Del. Robert Costa (R-Dist. 33B) of Deale.

Del. Veronica Turner (D-Dist. 26) of Camp Springs, who supported the bill, missed Friday’s vote because of a medical emergency.

dleaderman@gazette.net