A bill to protect students from bullying by their classmates has died in the House Education Committee because of concerns by some lawmakers that it would give "special rights" to gay students.
The proposal by Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, a Louisville Democrat, failed to get the 15 votes it needed to pass the committee. The party-line vote on Tuesday was 13 in favor, 10 against and three abstentions.
Most of the Republicans who voted against the bill said a 2008 law sponsored by Democratic Rep. Mike Cherry of Princeton is a national model and is sufficient to protect students. But Marzian, who mentioned that Cherry was a sponsor of her bill, said hers was stronger because it specifies categories of students to be protected.
