As Iowa Republicans battle to force debate on a bill that would overturn the Supreme Court’s decision voiding a ban on same-sex marriage,  New York Gov. David Patterson plans to introduce a bill doing just the opposite in the Empire State, the New York Times reports.

If passed, New York would become the fifth state in the country to allow same-sex couples the right to legally marry, joining Iowa, Vermont, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

According to the Times:

Mr. Paterson has said in recent days that the State Legislature should move ahead now with the legislation regardless of whether it can muster enough votes. His reasoning, which some gay rights advocates have challenged, is that New York should make a statement that it is committed to treating same-sex couples the same way it treats opposite-sex couples.

A similar bill was introduced in 2007 and was passed by a 25-vote margin in the General Assembly, which is one of New York’s two legislative bodies. The other body, the state senate, is where the bill will have difficulty passing, observers say.