So is there a chance in hell that this will go anywhere, or is this just window dressing in the wake of other marriage equality wins over the last week? It's pretty embarrassing that NY has been foot-dragging on this one for some time, with a handful of socially conservative Dems standing in the way.
Gov. David Paterson said Wednesday he plans to re-introduce legislation to make same-sex marriages legal in New York.
The legislation is expected to mirror a gay-marriage bill introduced in 2007 by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who -- with Paterson as his running mate -- campaigned in 2006 on a platform that included marriage equality.
"We'll put a bill out and let the people decide one way or the other," Paterson said Wednesday morning on WHCU-AM (870) in Ithaca.
But even with legislation from Paterson, the state Legislature has not signaled the bill would pass both houses. In 2007, the state Assembly passed Spitzer's marriage bill, but it stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate and remains that way now under Democratic control.
But in reality, the votes aren't there, but it would be an opportunity to put it out there for debate, which has its own value, as we saw in VT. Gov. Paterson said: "Why can't a bill just be on the floor and lose? If you have the votes later on to pass it, bring it back."
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/10331/ny-gov-paterson-taking-another-crack-at-marriage-equality-bill