Lawmakers in Albany spent all of last week scrambling to address a long list of items on its agenda before breaking for the year, staying four days past the scheduled end of the legislative session and passing a number of high-profile laws in its final few days.

Among the legislation was a historic bill to legalize same-sex marriage, which after days of intense lobbying in Albany from parties on both sides of the debate, was passed by the State Senate late Friday night.

“I am proud that New York has sent a message loud and clear, that we will not tolerate inequality,” said Bronx senator Gustavo Rivera, in a statement after the bill was approved. Every Bronx state lawmaker voted in favor of the bill, with the exception of Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., a well-known gay marriage opponent who was the only Democrat in the Senate to vote against it.

The legalization of same-sex marriage was a top priority for Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who spent months working with a coalition of gay rights groups to push for the bill’s passage. New York is now the sixth and largest state in the nation where same-sex marriage is legal.

In addition to the marriage bill, the legislature finalized a deal on Friday to renew the state’s rent laws. Housing advocates and many Bronx elected officials were pushing to see the laws not only extended, but strengthened in favor of tenants.

Many housing advocates were disappointed with the final agreement because it failed to include a total repeal of vacancy decontrol—the rule that lets landlords raise rents of regulated apartments once the tenant there vacates and if the monthly rent exceeds $2,000 and the household’s yearly income is higher than $175,000.

The legislature did, however, agree on raising both of these thresholds to $2,500 and $200,000, respectively, though Michael McKee, of the Tenants Political Action Committee, said that was not enough.

“It’s a terrible deal,” he said.

This year was the first time since 1993, however, that rent laws have been renewed without additional weakening amendments. The new regulations will stay in effect until 2015.

The passage of the new rent laws package was coupled with a cap on property tax increases—another of Gov. Cuomo’s state priorities—which will now be set to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less.

The legislature addressed a number of other issues in its final few days, including provisions to help local school districts and governments pay for state-mandated programs, approved yearly tuition increases at SUNY and CUNY schools, a bill to allow for the construction of new and more energy efficient power plants, and a plan, originally proposed by Mayor Bloomberg, to issue permits to livery cab drivers so they could legally pick up street hails.

The state legislature won’t meet again until next January.