There’s a number of ways the same-sex marriage bill could be dealt with, now that Republicans acknowledged they will consider the bill in their conference.

A) They could decide not to bring the bill up for a vote (similar to what Assembly Democrats did on congestion pricing). The governor could call them back into session, but could not compel them to vote on it.

B) The bill could be held indefinitely in the Rules Committee. There is a technical maneuver, called a Motion to Discharge that would force a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the State Senate, for a vote. Problem: That maneuver requires 38 signatures, an impossibly high bar to meet on such a controversial bill.

C) The bill could be recommended out of the Rules Committee and onto the State Senate floor for a vote. After the vote, but before the gavel drops, the sponsor could pull the bill, and no vote would be recorded. It’s happened once, I’m told, a few years ago, with a bill sponsored by Republican George Maziarz.

D) It gets voted on.

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