Ball to Vote 'No' to Gay Marriage

State legislators in Albany adjourned late Thursday night before taking action gay marriage, according to the Albany Times Union.

But if they do call a vote on legalizing same-sex unions before concluding their legislative session, State Sen. Greg Ball (R,C - Patterson) will cast his as 'no,' he announced Thursday night. As of last week, he said he  that provided exemptions for religious institutions.

"Over the past few weeks, I've had the distinct opportunity of listening to literally thousands of residents, on both sides of this issue, by holding an undecided stance," he said in a statement. "I am proud that I have secured some strong protections for religious institutions and basic protections for religious organizations. The bill still lacks many of the basic religious protections I thought were vital, and for this reason, and as I did in the Assembly, I will be voting ‘no.’”

Lawmakers worked until 11 p.m. on legislation addressing state mandates for local governments and school districts, according to the Times Union story. They are scheduled to return to session at 10 a.m. Friday, but it's unclear whether they'll address gay marriage.

The Marriage Equality Act passed the state Assembly last week, 80-63. Currently, thirty-one of the 62 members of the Senate, including two Republicans, support legalizing same-sex marriage, but one more vote would be needed for the bill to pass, according to a New York Times story.

If same-sex marriage legislation—previously defeated in the New York State Senate in 2009—is approved this time around, New York would become the sixth state in the nation to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Such licenses are granted in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.

The Marriage Equality Act bill memo is available here. The bill text is available here.