State Senate delays same-sex marriage vote

ALBANY -- Republicans in the State Senate put off a decision Wednesday on whether to allow a vote on legalizing same-sex marriage in New York as they sought to buy time to negotiate on other high-profile issues.

The Democrat-controlled Assembly passed its same-sex marriage bill Wednesday night. But the Republican-led Senate wrestled over the issue, stalling talks on enacting a property-tax cap, renewing rent-control laws in New York City and raising public-university tuition.

Thirty-one of New York's 62 state senators have publicly said they would support a gay marriage bill introduced by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. But that includes just two of the 32 Republicans who control the chamber.

The GOP caucus met behind closed doors for nearly four hours and emerged saying almost nothing about the issue. Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), who has suggested a vote could be held Friday, said his conference had not reached a decision. Rank-and-file lawmakers said the GOP agreed not to discuss it once the meeting broke.

"The issue has not been resolved," Skelos said. "The conference has asked me to keep the confidence of the conference at this point, which I intend to do."

The delay came just as legislators are negotiating with Cuomo on numerous high-profile items. The rent laws, which cover millions of tenants, expired at midnight last night, but lawmakers blew past that deadline with barely a shrug. Instead, Cuomo sent lawmakers an emergency bill to extend rent laws until 3 p.m. Friday.

Cuomo issued a statement acknowledging that the expiration is "generating anxiety among affected tenants," but said there would be no "short-term emergency" if lawmakers act before adjournment.

On the same-sex marriage issue, none of Long Island's nine senators -- all Republicans -- have said they would favor changing the law. Advocates of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community on Long Island who gathered at a roundtable discussion Wednesday in Bay Shore said they were upset that none of the nine have expressed support for the bill, but said they were optimistic about its approval this week.

"What we are fighting for is for marriage to be a right for all New Yorkers," said David Kilmnick, chief executive of the Long Island GLBT Services Network.

On other issues:

MTA payroll tax: The Senate passed a bill to repeal the MTA payroll tax -- a major campaign issue for Long Island Republicans. "The payroll tax should have never been passed in the first place, it's a tax on jobs," said Sen. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), the bill's sponsor.

But the measure appeared to have little support in the Assembly. The tax generates more than $1 billion annually for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Cuomo has said any rollback should be included in a complete overhaul of the agency's finances.

Port Authority appointment: The Senate confirmed Long Island developer Scott Rechler to a commissioner post at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Rechler heads RXR Realty, the group behind a billion-dollar "Glen Isle" development proposal in Glen Cove, among other projects.With Víctor Manuel Ramos