KEY MEASURES TO BE SHELVED FOR SUMMER

The Legislature will adjourn for the summer without approving reform of the
Rockefeller drug laws or a long-sought-after statewide gay-rights bill.

That was the word yesterday from key legislative insiders, who said
philosophical and political differences between the Democratic- controlled
Assembly and Republican-controlled Senate made agreement on the two issues
impossible.

"Neither Rockefeller nor SONDA [the proposed Sexual Orientation Non-
Discrimination Act] is going to happen," said a high-ranking legislative
official.

While Gov. Pataki, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and Senate
Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Rensselaer) have all said they support
reducing some of the most severe mandatory penalties imposed by the
Rockefeller drug laws, talks aimed at reaching a compromise have failed.

"The bottom line is the Assembly wants to reduce too many penalties and
give judges too much discretion to let drug dealers off the hook," said one
of the state's best-known district attorneys, who has lobbied against the
Assembly's proposals.

SONDA, which would add sexual orientation to the state's existing
civil-rights law section banning discrimination based on race, religion or
national origin, has been a top priority of gay-rights activists and their
Democratic allies for several years.

SONDA supporters, claiming Pataki as a new ally, have insisted all year
that they were optimistic that the measure would finally win approval.

But Senate Republicans, under pressure from the Conservative Party and
eyeing the ongoing scandal involving homosexual priests in the Catholic
clergy, have resisted the measure.

The Senate plans to recess for the summer Thursday, while the Assembly is
expected to begin its recess the following week.