Keep an eye on Albany today.
Albany, NY (AHN) - The New York Legislature holds a special session on Tuesday to tackle a $3.2 billion budget deficit. It is expected to vote on a same-sex marriage bill introduced by Gov. David Paterson last week.
The state Assembly had passed the measure in May by an 89-52 vote amid competing demonstrations by gay advocates and those who support traditional marriage, such as the Hispanic Clergy, state Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr., a Democrat and Pentecostal minister, and the New York State Catholic Conference, which called the bill a "radical social experiment."
The proposal languished in the state Senate along with other measures such as the budget because of a Republican coup that caused a month-long standoff between parties....
The governor has included his marriage equality bill in the session's agenda, saying the legislation is needed now more than ever because of the referendum in Maine last week that overturned the state's gay marriage law.
The Empire State Pride Agenda, which is leading the fight to pass the bill, had praised Paterson for re-introducing the bill and said, "We now expect that we will get the respectful debate and vote that we've been waiting for since June."
Via the albany project, here's a reminder of what's at stake, not just in New York, but everywhere.
Update: Or not.
ALBANY – The State Senate on Tuesday delayed a highly anticipated vote on same-sex marriage, putting off the issue indefinitely as gay rights supporters continued to lobby for additional votes.
Republicans and Democrats said that as of Tuesday afternoon the measure was still several votes short of the 32 necessary for approval. About five Democrats remained either opposed or noncommittal, meaning that Republican votes were needed to secure passage.
But not enough Republicans have committed yet to voting yes, legislators said. The Democrats have a slim 32-30 majority in the Senate.
It was unclear when the Senate would take the issue up.