"It's in the Codes Committee and it's not coming out," said one Republican senator.

On Tuesday, less than three weeks after its introduction, the Senate bill was passed by the Codes Committee and sent to the floor.

An identical bill is under consideration by the Codes Committee of the Democratic-controlled State Assembly.

Mr. Silver is the former chairman of the Codes Committee.

Senator Dale Volker, chairman of the Codes Committee, which is now considering the bill, expressed deep reservations about the measure in a recent interview.

"What we are trying to do is look at this thing rationally," said Senator Volker, the chairman of the Codes Committee.

But that bill, which has overwhelming support in the Assembly (including more than 100 co-sponsors), has been stuck for some time in the Codes Committee.

He is angling for a spot on the Codes Committee, and also wants a seat on panels dealing with health care, the environment and arts financing.

But the Assembly's Codes Committee has attempted to gut the bill, making it a trafficking bill in name only.

The Assembly has never brought the bill out of Codes Committee.