As the state Senate worked into the night Thursday, Sens. Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth, and Gerry Sweet, R-Meridian, saw just the opportunity they'd been waiting for. Two moderate senators were missing, having been formally excused for conflicting commitments as the night wore on. So Pearce and Sweet called for bringing the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment they've been championing back to the Senate - again. They've already tried every parliamentary maneuver in the book to revive the bill, but technically can try again each day until the Legislature adjourns.

Senate State Affairs Chairman Sheila Sorensen, R-Boise, made a motion to adjourn instead. That motion supersedes everything else, and so the Senate voted 17-16 to adjourn and was done for the night.

Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, who voted against the motion, said the late-night maneuvering had one key effect: The Senate definitely won't finish its session today, instead pushing the legislative session into Saturday.

Davis figured the Senate lost a productive hour it had planned to spend passing or killing some of the dozens of bills that remain on its calendar. "An hour at night is worth about two hours in prime time," he said. "People are more tired, and as a result, they get to the point a little more quickly."

"It slowed us down," he said.

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