"I'm really disappointed," he said. "Ninety percent of the meeting was about SB61, and I am not even sure they can travel down the same task force path."

Instead, Buttars is worried his proposal — if sent to a task force for study — will take a back seat to the controversy stirred by SB61.

"There ain't no way in hell I am gonna do that," he said, adding that the bills are in "two different solar systems."

Buttars' measure, which was pulled Monday morning from the House Business and Labor Committee's agenda, could have been tabled there and killed for at least this year.

Instead, supporters are continuing to press members of the House to give the bill a chance in that chamber, where the Rules Committee could simply send the bill out to the floor without benefit of another public committee hearing.

The House sponsor, Rep. David Ure, R-Kamas, said if the bill can get to the House floor, there's a "strong feeling we can get it passed."

When asked about a strategy to make that happen, Ure simply smiled.

"This is like a good game of chess, a good football game," he said, "and we're down to the last three minutes."

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E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com