NY approves gay marriage, caps on taxes, tuition; local officials react
Revelers celebrate in Manhattan's west village following the passing of the same sex marriage bill by a vote of 33 to 29, Friday, June 24, 2011, in New York. Same-sex marriage is now legal in New York after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that was narrowly passed by state lawmakers Friday, handing activists a breakthrough victory in the state where the gay rights movement was born. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano) Also approved Friday night was a 2 percent property tax cap and a $300 cap on annual tuition increases at SUNY schools.Gay rights advocates are hoping the vote will galvanize the movement around the country and help it regain momentum after an almost identical bill was defeated here in 2009 and similar measures failed in 2010 in New Jersey and this year in Maryland and Rhode Island.Jerry Nathan of Albany, who married his partner in Massachusetts, called the vote "an incredible culmination of so much that's been going on for so many years it doesn't seem real yet" as he stood outside the Senate chamber afterward.
"But it's the next chapter, I guess, in public acceptance and some kind of maturity in our state, and hopefully the rest of the country, too," Nathan said.
Cuomo made a surprise and triumphant walk around the Senate, introduced like a rock star by his lieutenant governor, Robert Duffy. The filled upper gallery shouted down to Cuomo, "Thank you!"
"Feels good?" Cuomo shouted up with a big smile and thumbs up. "Thank you!"
The passage of New York's legislation was made possible by two Republican senators who had been undecided.
Sen. Stephen Saland voted against a similar bill in 2009, helping kill the measure and dealing a blow to the national gay rights movement.
"While I understand that my vote will disappoint many, I also know my vote is a vote of conscience," Saland said in a statement to The Associated Press before the vote. "I am doing the right thing in voting to support marriage equality."
Gay couples wept in the gallery during Saland's speech.
Sen. Mark Grisanti, a GOP freshman from Buffalo who also had been undecided, also voted for the bill. Grisanti said he could not deny anyone what he called basic rights.
"I apologize to those I offend," said Grisanti, a Roman Catholic. "But I believe you can be wiser today than yesterday. I believe this state needs to provide equal rights and protections for all its residents," he said.
New York Legislature - News
The Republican-led Senate in New York has voted to legalize same sex marriage. Once it is signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York will become the sixth and largest state to recognize gay marriage. (June 24) (/The Associated Press) Correction:
The bill makes New York only the third state, after Vermont and New Hampshire, to legalize marriage through a legislative act and without being forced to do so by a court. Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, on gay marriage: "New York State took a
First, we offer the response from all of the Bishops of New York: "The passage by the Legislature of a bill to alter radically and forever humanity's historic understanding of marriage leaves us deeply disappointed and troubled.
The Cuomo administration in New York sat at the bargaining table and worked out a fair arrangement for bigger contributions by workers. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, by contrast, bullied and postured and got the Legislature to strip unions of
The State Legislature voted on Friday to vastly expand the reach of regulated, metered taxi service in New York City, a move that would create a class of livery cabs that can be hailed legally on the street outside the busiest
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On June 17, the New York legislature passed A8363 and S5753, identical bills which move the presidential primary from February to April 24. Any qualified party in New York is free to choose the Republican Party’s presidential primary rules. The Republican Party’s presidential primary rules in New York enable any presidential candidate to appear on his or her party’s presidential primary ballot without a petition. The candidate must either be mentioned in the news media or else must be eligible to receive primary matching funds.
These rules will make it practical for the Green Party to hold its second presidential primary in New York state. The Green Party was ballot-qualified in 2000 and had four candidates in its presidential primary that year: Ralph Nader (445 votes); Jello Biafra (87 votes); Joel Kovel (79 votes); and Stephen Gaskin (24 votes). Thanks to Josh Putnam for the news about the New York legislature’s recent action.
I was a Green in New York in 2000 and my recollection is that there was indeed a Green Presidential Primary in New York. If I remember correctly there were four candidates, including Nader, Joel Kovel (there were two competing national Green “parties” at that time and Joel was the candidate of the GPUSA group), a candidate whose name I can’t remember from “The Commune” in Kentucky or Tennessee, and Jello Biafra. Nader finished with about 75% of the votes, again if memory serves.
#7, good question. Many states provide that candidates for president should automatically be on the presidential primary ballot if the candidate is discussed in the news media. These laws are very vague. Generally, state election administrators throw up their hands when trying to interpret this law as applied to minor party presidential primaries, and just tell the minor party’s state chair to turn in a list of candidates to the state, and the state uses that list.
Stephen Gaskin (from The Farm,) was the other candidate in 2000. A party’s State Committee in NY can nominate statewide candidates by convention, (with a winner and candidates getting 25% of the vote allowed to ask to be on the ballot).
The primary was how the candidates were designated, and Nader did win by a significant margin.
The Republican “news media” rules are not familiar to me, the GP not using such rules.
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