A deal has been reached in the New York State Senate

The dysfunctional New York State Senate may be back in operation, according to The New York Times:

Senator Pedro Espada Jr. will return to the Democrats as majority leader, ending a monthlong stalemate that has hobbled state government, as part of a deal worked out by Senate Democratic leaders on Thursday, according to people briefed on the negotiations.

Mr. Espada’s return would give the Democrats 32 votes in the Senate, a clear two-vote margin that would re-establish their control of the chamber. Senator John L. Sampson of Brooklyn, leader of the Democratic caucus, would be president for an undetermined period as part of the deal, which must be approved by the rest of the Democratic senators.

We'll see if this deal holds. Then, we'll see what, if anything, this development means for the same-sex marriage bill. The NY Assembly passed its version of the marriage equality bill back in May. The Senate has been the roadblock for marriage equality in New York State. There were high hopes when the Democrats took control of the Senate this year, for the first time in decades. But, there was no Senate action before Espada and one of his colleagues defected last month, throwing the whole place into chaos. Let's see if the Senate Democrats can redeem themselves -- at least on marriage equality.