Tag: NY State

New York state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos on Same Sex Marriage Legislation: “After many hours of deliberation and discussion over the past several weeks among the members, it has been decided that same sex marriage legislation will be brought to the full Senate for an up or down vote.”

NY Conservative Party Chair Mike Long: “I’m sorry to say but the bill’s going to pass.”

Word is the 32nd vote is secured and possibly a few more.

Stay tuned kids…

From the NY Times – 4:14pm on Friday: “The Cuomo administration and legislative leaders have reached agreement on language that would protect religious institutions from obligations to recognize same-sex marriage, two people involved in the negotiations said on Friday afternoon, potentially paving the way for a vote on the marriage legislation.”

“Senate Republicans were still discussing the marriage bill among themselves in a close door meeting on Friday afternoon. And it remained unclear whether — and even if — they would permit a vote on the broader legislation. Assembly lawmakers, which approved an earlier version of the same-sex marriage bill last week, would need to approve the new language in a new vote before the full bill could become law.”

Of course, all that being said – will the GOP state senators allow a vote on the bill???

After a week of mainly calm and respectful attendance by pro-marriage-equality supporters, nerves seem to be getting frayed as no vote is in sight on passing marriage equality.

From the NY Times: “Frustrations flared in the Capitol on Friday as Democratic lawmakers and gay rights advocates suggested that the Republicans in the state Senate were deliberately delaying a vote on whether to legalize same-sex marriage in New York.”

“It was a marked change of tone from proponents of gay marriage, and it seemed to indicate that their collaborative relationship with the Republicans, in whose hands the fate of the measure rests, had begun to fray.”

“It’s outrageous,” said State Senator Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat. “We were sent home last night without really any explanation.”

Krueger and other Democrats inferred Republicans are stalling on the issue because they fear gay marriage will pass if the vote is put onto the floor.

Sen. Dean Skelos had indicated that he would have vote on the issue this session.

I think it’s going to get ugly is they don’t have this vote…

NY Times editorial: “As we wrote this editorial on Thursday evening, we were still waiting for the New York State Senate to do what it should have done long ago — end a basic inequality under the law by allowing same-sex couples the full right to marry. The solution is obvious: Pass a clean bill that allows all adult New Yorkers to marry whomever they choose to marry, without unneeded exemptions for religious-affiliated organizations.”

“Gov. Andrew Cuomo introduced a good bill, which was promptly approved by the Assembly. In the Senate, the measure seemed to be only one vote shy of passage, but Republicans have kept it from the floor.”

Read more here.

Marriage equality in NY state is tied to rent control and tax cap bills, it appears.

From the Wall Street Journal: Senate Majority leader Dean Skelos said Tuesday afternoon that the framework for agreement on rent control and a tax cap had been reached. Those agreements appear to clear the way for gay marriage to be addressed separately as early as Wednesday.

Skelos, a Long Island Republican, holds great sway over which bills make it to the full Senate for a vote. He is opposed to gay marriage but says he’ll let his members decide its fate.

Now that the Repubs have what they wanted on their two issues – will they let marriage equality come up for a vote tomorrow? And will one more state senator decide to stand on the right side of history?

Stay tuned.

Marriage equality in NY state is very close to happening.  If you can attend tomorrow, please do.
Click on the image for more details.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday that he expected same-sex marriage legislation to be approved before the end of the legislative session next week, and indicated that to win passage of the measure he is prepared to yield to Republican concerns for greater protections of religious groups.

“I am a proponent of marriage equality,” Mr. Cuomo told reporters on Friday. “I am also a proponent of religious freedom, and separation of church and state, so these are both very important principles. I don’t see one in competition with the other.”

With signs pointing to a vote on the marriage issue in the State Senate next week, there are widespread expectations that it will pass. 31 of the Senate’s 62 members have expressed support for the measure, including two Republicans.

Other Republican lawmakers appear to be seriously considering lending their support if Mr. Cuomo agrees to amend the proposal to give greater protection to religious organizations.

The State Assembly passed the same-sex marriage bill on Wednesday.

The legislation proposed by the governor includes exemptions for religious organizations and affiliated charities or nonprofit groups to protect them from litigation if they refuse to host or provide services for same-sex weddings.

But Senate Republicans want further provisions to protect such organizations from any repercussions from state agencies, that might deny aid or benefits based on discrimination.

“Governor Cuomo has been most gracious in terms of listening to some of these concerns,” Mr. Skelos added. “I think he’s doing the right thing by doing that, and those concerns will continue to be addressed.”

Senator Stephen M. Saland, a Hudson Valley Republican who is seen as one of the most likely tie-breaking votes, is one of the lead negotiators for the Senate Republicans over the marriage issue. Both the governor and the Republicans described negotiations as cordial and productive.

Likening the prohibition on same-sex marriage to earlier bans on interracial marriage, Mr. Cuomo said he was encouraged after talks with Republican lawmakers and confident that a marriage measure and his broader agenda would both be approved next week. “This state has a proud tradition and a proud legacy as the progressive capital of the nation,” he said in a hallway outside his office. “We led the way, and it’s time for New York to lead the way once again.”

More at the NY Times.

In light of the fact it’s passed many times in the Assembly, this vote should go well for the LGBT community.

As far as the state Senate is concerned, GOP state senators met today for several hours about the proposed bill to legalize marriage equality. No word on if there was a decision made on how they will proceed.

From the NY Times:
Senate Republican leaders said on Wednesday that they had not decided whether to take a vote on legalizing same-sex marriage, as advocates were in a full-court press to gain the one vote needed to pass the measure before Monday, the scheduled end of this year’s legislative session.

Thirty-one members of the 62-seat Senate have now publicly backed the legislation, including two Republicans who have emerged in recent days to say they would vote for same-sex marriage. The Republican-controlled chamber, where gay marriage was defeated two years ago by a wide margin, is seen as the last obstacle to the measure, which is strongly supported by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

Republican senators met for four hours Wednesday to discuss the marriage issue, and, as they emerged, they said they had not reached a consensus about bringing the bill to a vote.

Should the bill pass, New York will become the sixth, and largest, state in which gay and lesbian couples can legally wed, intensifying the national debate over the role of gays in American society and adding momentum to a movement that had stalled in recent years.

Stay tuned.