NEW YORK MARRIAGE BILL GAINS MOMENTUM; HISTORY KNOCKING AT OUR DOOR

photo:  Ove Overmyer

Albany, N.Y.--  Following another day where momentum on the marriage equality bill continued to build in New York, Republican state senators were scheduled to meet this morning to decide whether to bring the measure to the floor for a vote, likely by Friday.

Senate majority leader Dean Skelos has said that although he personally opposes the bill, he would recommend it come to the floor pending consultation with his members. As of Wednesday morning, two Republican state senators who voted against the bill in 2009, James Alesi of Rochester and Roy McDonald of the capital region, have announced they would vote yes, bringing the measure within one vote of the 32 required for passage.

The decisive vote must come from a Republican senator, where since Monday, when three undecided Democrats from New York City who voted against the bill in 2009-- Joseph Addabbo, Shirley Huntley and Carl Kruger-- announced their support, all Democrats except the avowedly antigay Ruben Diaz Sr. plan to vote for the bill.

On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo submitted a bill for consideration with exemptions for religious institutions that do not want to solemnize same-sex marriages or provide facilities for wedding celebrations. An apparent accommodation to concerns expressed by undecided Republican state senators, in particular Greg Ball, the language spells out existing provisions of the state’s human rights law, where such religious facilities already are regarded as private and not public accommodations. If passed, the bill would become law in 30 days.

The delivery of the bill provided a strong sign of confidence from Cuomo, who has said that he did not want to hold a vote that would fail. Coupled with the support from the remaining undecided Democrats, it also puts the burden squarely on senate Republicans.

As the 32-member Republican conference meets Wednesday, enormous pressure is being exerted on the handful of senators publicly identified as undecided including Ball of Carmel, Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie, Kemp Hannon of Long Island, Mark Grisanti of Buffalo, and Andrew Lanza of Staten Island.

Groups lobbying strongly against the bill include the New York State Catholic Conference, where Archbishop Timothy Dolan wrote Tuesday that same-sex marriage could be compared to the social control of Communist countries such as China and North Korea.  Really?

If Republican senators decide to bring the bill to the floor, a likely day for a vote would be Friday, according to senate observers. Cuomo could also issue a message of necessity in an attempt to expedite the process, which could prove advantageous, particularly as lobbying and political calculations around the bill intensify while the legislature faces other unfinished business before it concludes on June 20.

The Democratic-controlled Assembly, which has passed the bill three times since 2007, is prepared to act pending assurances of success in the senate.

Passage of the bill would make New York the sixth state, in addition to the District of Columbia, with a marriage equality law. The home of 20 million people, New York would also become the most populous state with marriage equality outside California, where Proposition 8 repealed the law in 2008, effectively doubling the number of Americans who live in a state where same-sex couples can marry.