To vote or not to vote on gay ‘marriage’? New York’s GOP Senators may decide Wednesday
Image via WikipediaSenate Republicans in New York continue to remain silent about whether they will kill the same-sex “marriage” bill, or pass an amended version with more religious protections before going into summer recess.
Since Republicans control the Senate chambers 32 – 30, they can block the legislation from coming to a floor vote, but they are staying tight-lipped about their intentions, leaving both friends and foes of gay “marriage” sitting on pins and needles.
The Democrat-dominated Assembly already approved legalizing same-sex “marriage” last Wednesday, in an 80 – 63 vote.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Bob Duffy, both Democrats, have exerted enormous personal pressure on Democrats and Republicans in the Senate to pass the same-sex “marriage” bill.
Already those efforts have yielded success as two Republicans, Sens. Jim Alesi of Monroe County, and Roy MacDonald of Saratoga County, have joined the Democrat caucus to support same-sex “marriage,” putting the balance of the Senate at 31 in favor to 31 against.
Although the legislative session ended Monday, lawmakers extended it a few days in order to try to work out agreements on passing bills related to rent control and caps on property tax increases.
As of Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and GOP Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Center) had reached an agreement on a way to deal with those items, removing some of the last legislative obstacles to holding a vote on same-sex “marriage.”
Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) says he expects the Senate will recess for the summer by Wednesday – meaning that any vote on same-sex “marriage” would likely happen by then.
The Conservative Party has warned Skelos and the GOP that they will punish any Republican incumbent running for Senate who votes for same-sex “marriage.” In New York State, candidates may run for election on multiple party lines, and losing an endorsement can be a critical blow.
Sen. Alesi admitted when he switched his vote after meeting with Cuomo that he cast his 2009 vote against same-sex “marriage” only to help GOP efforts to recapture the Senate from Democrats. Alesi won his own election by just 4,000 votes in 2010, and would probably have lost his seat had he alienated the Conservative Party.
Alesi ran on the Republican, Conservative, and Independent lines after securing their endorsements.
Senate Republicans are wary that any one of them being the 32nd vote to legalize same-sex “marriage” would probably increase the likelihood of Democrats seizing the legislature as social conservative voters would feel betrayed and the Conservative Party would run opposing candidates against those Republicans for each casting the deciding vote.
Sen. Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx) is the only Democrat to oppose the bill, but he is also the Senate’s leader in the fight to save traditional marriage. Diaz has been instrumental in rallying Hispanic Christians to march and speak out in support of marriage as a union of a man and a woman.
Cuomo’s efforts to make New York State the most populous state to embrace same-sex “marriage” hit an additional snag when New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan lent his powerful voice against the bill, saying it would hurt the Catholic Church’s religious freedom just as he said has happened in Canada and England.
Cuomo said before the weekend that he was confident that compromises could be made to pass the bill.
Skelos said discussions on more religious liberty protections were underway, but he continues to remain mum about which direction the GOP conference is leaning in the political winds.
Contact information for New York ‘s Senators may be found here.
