Follow WTOP's Kate Ryan @KateRyanWTOP as she tweets live from the Maryland Legislature.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Maryland Legislature has passed a law to allow gay marriage by a small, but expected margin.

The state Senate voted 25-22 on Thursday to legalize gay marriage, less than a week after the House of Delegates barely passed the measure.

Maryland will become the eighth state to allow gay marriage when Gov. Martin O'Malley, who sponsored the bill, signs the legislation.

Opponents vow to bring the measure to voters with a referendum. Now that the bill has passed the Senate, organizers can begin collecting the more than 55,000 signatures needed to put it on the ballot.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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