Will the New York same-sex marriage equality bill get a vote this week? Tonight? Thursday? While all eyes are on the New York State Senate, which has yet to even agree to put Governor Cuomo’s same-sex marriage equality bill up to a vote, Sheldon Silver, the New York Assembly Speaker, says he has seen the updated marriage equality bill, and the language — presumably the religious protections language — is “acceptable.” And, it seems, there are 32 votes for the bill…
Additionally, the AP just reported that, “State legislative leaders said there are no major obstacles to negotiations on religious protections in a gay marriage bill, potentially opening the way to a vote on the issue as early as Wednesday night.,” but adds,
“Democrats and Republicans emerged from meetings with Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and said there was progress toward proposed additional religious protections that could bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. No deal had been struck as of Wednesday afternoon, and even if religious protections were added there was no guarantee the bill would come to a full vote.”
Earlier this afternoon, Capitol Tonight stated, via Twitter, that a 32nd vote for the bill had been secured, and reported, “Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver emerged from the three-way meeting with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to say he has seen a draft of the chapter amendment for religious exemptions on same-sex marriage and it’s “acceptable.”
“Silver also said his chamber would vote on the amendment to the same-sex marriage bill only after Senate Republicans take up the measure. The Democratic-led Assembly approved the marriage bill last week with a vote of 80-63 – one of the lowest margins in the measure’s history. That was the fourth time the bill had passed in the chamber.”
The next step presumably is for Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to agree to the language, and for Skelos to allow a vote on the bill. Alternatively, Skelos could go force the bill to go through committee again, but that would merely delay the process further.
Republican Majority Leader Skelos reportedly is still claiming that his members have the final say on when and if the bill will go to the floor for a vote.
Stay tuned.
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