g********d
发帖数: 4174 | 1 Posted on Advocate.com June 14, 2011 04:10:00 PM ET
Strongest Sign Yet: Cuomo Sends Bill to Lawmakers
By Julie Bolcer
ANDREW CUOMO PENSIVE X390 (GETTY) | ADVOCATE.COM
Andrew Cuomo.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo submitted a marriage equality bill for
consideration by the legislature on Tuesday afternoon, a strong sign that he
and advocates feel confident about the measure passing.
As a program bill, the Marriage Equality Act requires three days before it
will be live and ready to receive a vote. That means the earliest the bill
could receive a vote is Friday, with the legislative session scheduled to
end on Monday. The Marriage Equality Act would take effect 30 days after it
became law.
According to the news release from the governor’s office, the bill makes
exemptions for religious institutions, which appears to accommodate
undecided Republican state senators, most notably Greg Ball, who have
suggested their support may depend the inclusion of such carve-outs. Having
publicly picked up its first Republican vote on Monday, along with three
undecided Democrats, the bill needs two more votes, which must come from the
Republican conference, to reach the 32 required to pass the senate.
“To ensure that the bill does not intrude into matters of religious belief,
the Marriage Equality Act affirms that no member of the clergy can be
compelled to solemnize any marriage,” said the announcement. “This bill
grants equal access to the government-created legal institution of civil
marriage while leaving the religious institution of marriage to its own
separate and fully autonomous sphere. The bill also guarantees that
religious institutions and benevolent organizations such as the Knights of
Columbus remain free to choose who may use their facilities for marriage
ceremonies and celebrations or to whom they provide religious services,
consistent with their religious principles.”
In the announcement, as he has in previous statements, Cuomo positioned the
Marriage Equality Act as a long overdue next step in the long history of
civil rights advances nurtured in New York.
"From the fight for women's suffrage to the struggle for civil rights, New
Yorkers have been on the right side of history. But on the issue of marriage
equality, our state has fallen behind," he said. "For too long, same-sex
couples have been denied the freedom to marry, as well as hundreds of rights
that other New Yorkers take for granted. Marriage equality is a matter of
fairness and legal security for thousands of families in this state – not
of religion or culture. When it comes to fighting for what's right, New
Yorkers wrote the book, and marriage equality is the next chapter of our
civil rights story."
Cuomo has said that he and the coalition of advocates working to pass the
bill did not want to hold a vote on a measure that would fail, which makes
the delivery of the bill an indication of their confidence. The presence of
the bill also shows their seriousness to Republican senators, who will
likely conference the measure on Wednesday. Majority leader Dean Skelos, an
opponent of the bill, has said that he would recommend it come to the floor
for a vote pending consultation with his Republican members. | m******1
发帖数: 19713 | 2 BRAVO!!!
Go! New York GO!!!! | g********d
发帖数: 4174 | 3 What can anti-gay people do if it passes? Referendum? 58% of New Yorkers
support gay marriage! | D**S
发帖数: 24887 | 4 "When it comes to fighting for what's right, New Yorkers wrote the book,"
This is very well said. I hope NY state will again live up to its own
standards. It is not a cliche when the governor said NY state has been on
the right side of history but it is now high time to make this claim even
more true. In contrast, many states of this nation probably can never say
with decency that they have been on the "right side of history" as far as
civil rights are concerned. Some states are historically just social
backwaters. | D**S
发帖数: 24887 | 5 Be prepared for the worst. Hate crime targeted at homosexual people may
actually shoot up temporarily. But I remain hopeful that the majority of New
Yorkers are decent people and know what constitutes the "right side of
history".
support gay marriage!
【在 g********d 的大作中提到】
: What can anti-gay people do if it passes? Referendum? 58% of New Yorkers
: support gay marriage!
| g********d
发帖数: 4174 | 6 I will worry about the passage of this law first.
New
【在 D**S 的大作中提到】
: Be prepared for the worst. Hate crime targeted at homosexual people may
: actually shoot up temporarily. But I remain hopeful that the majority of New
: Yorkers are decent people and know what constitutes the "right side of
: history".
:
: support gay marriage!
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