The New York Assembly passed the state’s marriage equality bill this Wednesday by a vote of 80-63 after a debate that lasted four hours. Now the bill moves on to the Senate where 32 votes are needed in order for it to pass. Currently there are 31 senators on record as supporting it – just one shy of the 32 needed for passage. The GOP-controlled Senate will meet again tomorrow to decide how to proceed. A vote likely won’t happen until Friday, at the earliest.
“This is a matter of equity and justice,” Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, stated after the vote. “New Yorkers should have the right to marry whom they choose. Partners unable to enter into a civil marriage, and their children, lack basic legal protections taken for granted by married couples.”
Now more than ever, it is crucial that all New Yorkers who support marriage equality take action by contacting their Senator. Click here to do so on the Freedom to Marry website and help secure this historic win.
