Crunch day in New York

Crunch day in New York

New York could become the sixth American state to legalise same-sex marriage today.

Today [Monday] is the last scheduled day of the legislative session in New York, where the marriage equality bill awaits a vote in the Senate following its passing by the State Assembly last week, by a vote of 80-63.

Some US political commentators believe the legislative season may be extended to Thursday if the bill is not voted on today.

It is understood the bill remains one vote short of passage. Last week 31 senators, including two from the majority Republican Party, indicated their support for the bill that would make New York the sixth and most populous US state to allow same-sex couples to enter into civil marriages.

The bill does not compel any member of the clergy to conduct same-sex marriages, but some Republican lawmakers are concerned the legal protection is not strong enough.

If the Marriage Equality Act is approved, New York would become the sixth state to allow same-sex marriage.

The bill was introduced by Democrat Governor Andrew Cuomo who during the past week has lobbied for the measure, saying same-sex marriage is “a matter of principle, not politics”.

“This state has a proud tradition and a proud legacy as the progressive capital of the nation,” he told reporters last week.

“We led the way, and it’s time for New York to lead the way once again.”

Political analysts say Cuomo is able to freely promote gay marriage because he holds office in a relatively liberal state.

It has been reported that U.S. governors supporting same-sex marriage appear to be in the minority. Among them are Democrats Deval Patrick in neighboring Massachusetts and Jerry Brown in California.

So far, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage, and several other U.S. states allow civil unions.

Gov. Cuomo told lawmakers on Friday that he would be open to amending the bill proposal to “include more specific exemptions for religious groups”.

No additional exemptions had been announced as of this morning, but insiders said it would likely be presented in a chapter amendment that would need to pass separately from the bill. The chapter amendment would also require approval from the Democratic-controlled Assembly, which passed the marriage equality bill for the fourth time last week. The bill failed in the Senate in 2009.

Public pressure for the Senate to pass the bill continued to mount over the weekend. Hundreds rallied in Union Square in Manhattan Sunday while clergy members and congregants statewide rallied after religious services.

Meanwhile, opponents of the marriage equality bill announced they would present Republican state senators with 63,000 petitions against the bill in the state capital today. Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage are expected in Albany in the afternoon with former New York Giants player David Tyree, who recorded a video against the marriage equality bill.

The legislative session, although officially scheduled to end Monday, could extend into the week because of unfinished business including the marriage equality bill and other significant items.

The 62-member Senate is split on the measure but two Republican senators have announced they will back the bill, while one Democrat senator still opposes it. It is reported that the proponents of the bill need only one more vote to get it passed.

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