FRANKFORT - The sponsor of a controversial bill to ban unmarried couples from becoming foster or adoptive parents acknowledged Tuesday that the bill is dead.
Tapp said he didn't know why the Senate's Republican leadership didn't schedule a vote on SB 68.
"I quit asking," he said.
Neither Senate President David Williams nor Majority Leader Dan Kelly, the chamber's top leaders, could be reached for comment Tuesday night.
Even if the bill were to win Senate approval, it would still need to be passed by the House. And there is little chance of that happening with only three scheduled days for passing bills remaining in this year's session.
..."We're encouraged," said Chris Hartman, executive director of Louisville's Fairness Alliance, which held a Feb. 25 rally at the Capitol to oppose the proposal.
Hartman said he hoped the numerous calls, letters and e-mails to lawmakers from opponents have "driven home the message that hate legislation should never be passed in the commonwealth."
....The bill appeared to be gaining momentum when the Senate Judiciary Committee approved it at a special meeting Thursday, announced as the Senate was adjourning for the day.
One opponent, Lexington Democrat Kathy Stein, called it "legislation by ambush."
The bill passed unanimously, with no discussion, after Tapp and Edmunds spoke in support of it.
But it hasn't moved since. And Tapp acknowledged that with so little time left, chances are remote that it could clear the Senate and the House.
Stein said she thinks that's for the best.
"I think that's an excellent thing," she said, adding that she has had numerous calls from people in her district who oppose the bill.
Tapp said he expects to sponsor the bill again next year.
Peace.
