ALBANY, N.Y. — New York’s three top political leaders said Wednesday they supported several additional religious exceptions to a gay-marriage bill and were in critical negotiations over wording.
Even if the exceptions are approved, however, the Republican conference, most of whose members oppose gay marriage, must send the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. The Democratic-led Assembly has already approved the bill but would need to approve any revised version that might come out of the Senate.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate GOP leader Dean Skelos and Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said that despite there being no deal on religious exceptions, talks were encouraging.
“We are going back and forth on language,” Cuomo said late Wednesday. “But we have not hit any obstacles.”
Talks were expected to continue today.
Negotiators are trying to include enough protections in the bill so religious groups that oppose gay marriage aren’t hit with discrimination lawsuits. Those provisions also are intended not just for the few undecided senators but to satisfy the entire Republican conference enough to send the bill to the floor.
The need to get the Republican senators to agree to send the bill to the floor for a vote was a pressure point for some of the hundreds of demonstrators at the Capitol on Wednesday. Signs cropped up threatening Republicans that if they allow the bill to the floor, they should face a costly primary even if they ultimately vote against gay marriage.
Conservative Party chairman Michael Long has urged Senate Republicans to keep the bill from the floor, where a bloc of Democrats and a few Republicans could pass it.
New York’s action is being watched closely as a pivotal moment in the national gay-rights movement.
Earlier Wednesday, Skelos and Silver tried to minimize their differences over the bill in an optimistic news conference. But the religious-protection additions hadn’t been printed by Wednesday night, so lawmakers had nothing to vote on.
Leaders in the Assembly said they were ready to bring their members back today to take up the vote.
The stronger protection for religious organizations, such as certain adoption agencies and marriage counselors who oppose gay marriage on principle, is sought by undecided Republican senators who are key to the vote. The Senate appears to be one vote shy of making New York the sixth state where gay marriage is legal.
Among advocates was restaurateur Mario Batali. He said he was at the Capitol representing his 3,000 employees, who understand they should be able to make their own decisions on marriage. Actress Audra McDonald of ABC’s “Private Practice” said she has many gay and lesbian Broadway friends in committed relationships and thinks there would be “tons” of weddings.
Both said gay marriage would bring an estimated $400 million economic boost for the state and New York City.
A similar measure to legalize same-sex marriage largely stalled two years ago when the state Senate voted it down. Since then, the movement has failed in Maryland, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
