The New Jersey state senate will delay a vote on legalizing gay marriage which had been scheduled for Thursday.
The senate president’s office confirmed to TPM that the vote will wait, pending a committee hearing in the state assembly. The delay was requested by the measure’s sponsors, Sens. Raymond Lesniak (D) and Loretta Weinberg (D).
“Senator Lesniak and I believe that the public needs another opportunity to engage legislators on this issue,” Weinberg said in a statement, citing the hundreds of supporters and opponents who flooded a senate committee hearing on Monday.
But the assembly speaker, Democrat Joseph Roberts, warned that he has not yet scheduled the judiciary committee hearing.
“I must emphasize that no hearing has been scheduled and that I am continuing to discuss this issue with our caucus to gauge whether there is enough support for it,” Roberts said in a statement. Roberts supports same-sex marriage.
The bill passed the senate judiciary committee Monday in a vote of seven to six. The vote wasn’t entirely along party lines, with one Republican voting for the bill and two Democrats voting against it.
Gay marriage advocates want to see the bill on the governor’s desk while Gov. Jon Corzine (D) is still sitting in the chair. They have until Jan. 19. Corzine’s successor, Republican Chris Christie, has vowed to veto the bill.
The bill faces several legislative hurdles. It must get 21 votes in the full Senate. Democrats hold 23 seats, but with two already voting no in committee, it’s unclear what the final tally would be.
It must also pass in the assembly, first making it through the judiciary committee and then getting 41 votes on the assembly floor. Democrats hold 48 seats.
New Jersey has civil unions for same-sex couples, but many marriage supporters say it renders those couples second-class citizens.
The legislature’s last day before Christmas break is Monday.
