1 more state senator supports gay marriage

ALBANY -- Another Republican senator reversed course Tuesday and announced his support for legalizing same-sex marriage, putting New York on the brink of becoming the sixth state to do so, possibly Friday.

Meanwhile, in a flurry of action as lawmakers moved closer to the end of the 2011 legislative session, negotiations on a deal to enact a property-tax cap in exchange for renewal of rent-control laws stalled.

Sen. Roy McDonald (R-Saratoga) became the second GOP senator in two days to say he now supports same-sex marriage. That means that 31 of New York's 62 state senators now openly do so, leaving backers just one vote shy of a majority as they push for a vote before the June 20 adjournment. McDonald voted with other Republicans in a bloc in 2009 to defeat a similar bill.

In a related development, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who has made "marriage equality" a top priority, introduced a bill allowing gay marriage. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), who is opposed, said he will discuss the issue at a closed-door GOP conference this morning and that a vote might come "probably Friday."

To appeal to some undecided Republicans, Cuomo included exemptions that would not force clergy to perform same-sex weddings and would allow organizations such as the Knights of Columbus to refuse to host, say, a wedding reception for a gay couple without being subject to the state's anti-discrimination laws.

The New York State Catholic Conference said it wasn't satisfied and would urge lawmakers to vote no. Richard E. Barnes, the conference's executive director, said that the exceptions Cuomo put into the measure are not as strong as those included in same-sex marriage laws in other states.

The other major outstanding issue seemed stalled Tuesday. Lawmakers made no progress in hammering out the final details of a deal announced weeks ago to enact a 2 percent property-tax cap and strengthen rent-control laws. Cuomo and legislators announced a tentative deal on May 23 but haven't worked out the details.

Senate Republicans back the former; Assembly Democrats the latter. The rent laws, which impact millions of tenants in New York City, are set to expire at midnight Wednesday.

In the latest in a series of bargaining maneuvers, Skelos introduced a series of bills that would extend rent protections -- but not, as Democrats want, expand them to raise the income levels covered under the law. Silver called those bills "non-starters," but Skelos downplayed the rift.

"We're going to be fine," Skelos told reporters. " . . . We're going to have a tax cap. We're gong to have an extension of rent and we're all going to go home relatively happy."