In a significant development for the marriage equality bill in New York, Senate majority leader Dean Skelos said Thursday that he would present the measure, including newly amended language for religious exemptions, to his conference to decide whether to schedule a vote.
The announcement, made by Skelos to reporters in the late morning, represented the first major sign this week of movement on the bill, which has been delayed in the Republican-controlled Senate since passing the Democratic-controlled Assembly last week. In addition to the traffic from other items at the end of the legislative session, Republican senators and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have been negotiating as-yet-unspecified language for more religious protections in the bill.
Capitol Confidential tweeted that Skelos said the conference would be “lengthy.” The meeting is expected sometime this afternoon, with late Thursday or even very early Friday morning as possible windows for a vote, should the Republican senators decide to bring the bill to the floor.
Whether Skelos and his 32 members, two of whom publicly support the marriage equality bill, decide to hold a vote represents the crucial question at this point. The leader, who personally opposes the measure, already vowed last year that he would at least conference the marriage equality bill, but he cautioned it would only come to a vote with the approval of his members.
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/06/23/Republican_Senators_to_Conference_Marriage_Equality_Bill/