The same sex marriage proposal goes up for a vote in the New Jersey senate Thursday.
Testimony got underway just after 3 p.m. over whether the Garden State will allow same-sex couples to marry.
For supporters, the window of opportunity is about to slam shut because lawmakers are in their final days of lame duck legislation where Gov. Jon Corzine still has the power to sign bills into law.
Advocates for both sides have been protesting outside the statehouse.
Inside, there are only 95 seats in the senate gallery, so accommodations were made to put the overflow crowd in the Statehouse annex where they can watch the proceedings, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
Last month, a vote on the controversial measure was hastily postponed after seven hours of debate in the Senate because it seemed doomed to fail.
Lawmakers tweaked the language so that churches and clergy wouldn't be forced to marry gay couples.
Politics
Twenty-one votes are needed to pass the bill in the senate. If that happens, the measure would then go up for a vote Monday in the general assembly.
The timeline is critical because everything has to happen before the transfer of power on Jan. 19.
Outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine has promised to sign it into law and Gov.-elect Chris Christie has vowed to veto the bill.
