The New York Senate will likely vote on
a gay marriage bill Tuesday, local NBC affiliate WGRZ reported.
A spokesman for state Senator Dale
Volker confirmed to the television station that the bill could reach
the Senate floor for a vote tomorrow.
The bill remains a priority of Governor
David Paterson, who has pledged to sign it into law if it clears its
final hurdle in the Senate. Whether Democrats have the votes to
approve the measure, however, remains unclear. Several senators
reversed course after voters in Maine “vetoed” a gay marriage law
approved by lawmakers in the spring. Win or lose, gay activists say
they want a vote on the bill to put senators on record.
A similar bill is expected
to receive its initial vote in the District of Columbia on
Tuesday and final approval before Christmas.
In New Jersey, gay activists are racing
to beat the mid-January inauguration of Governor-elect Chris Christie
to approve a gay marriage bill, but the effort appears to have hit
some serious turbulence with the Democratic loss of the governor's
mansion. During the campaign, Governor Jon Corzine pledged to sign a
gay marriage bill into law. His loss to Chris Christie, a Republican
who supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, spooked
senators who viewed the contest as a referendum on gay marriage.