INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A bill that would amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage in Indiana won’t get a hearing in a key Indiana House committee, likely dooming its chances of passage this legislative session.

Rep. Scott Pelath, chair of the House Rules and Legislative Procedure Committee, said Friday that the most urgent issue facing lawmakers during the short legislative session is property taxes, not same-sex marriage, which already is banned under Indiana law.

“I’m not planning on having a hearing,” said Pelath, D-Michigan City. “The short session was designed to deal with emergencies. We have a very serious problem with the property tax system, and we don’t have any gay marriages in Indiana.”

A Senate committee plans to debate the amendment Thursday, but Eric Miller, who has pushed for passage of the amendment as founder of the conservative group Advance America, called that “disingenuous.”

He said the legislature is dealing with plenty of issues besides property tax reform and has the time to debate and vote on this amendment before its March 14 deadline.

“There are hundreds of bills being reviewed by a variety of committees,” he said. “Property taxes are the most important thing, but I’d view the marriage amendment as very important as well.”

The bill is called House Joint Resolution 8 in the Democrat-controlled House; it is Senate Joint Resolution 7 in the Republican-controlled Senate.

State Rep. Eric Turner, R-Marion, the sponsor of the House resolution, said he is exploring options to try to get the bill a vote by the full House. But House rules state that a bill may not be called back from committee. The only route to a vote by the full House, apparently, is approval by a committee.

Amending Indiana’s constitution requires a resolution to pass consecutive, separately elected General Assemblies and then be approved in a statewide vote.

The Legislature first passed the proposal in 2005, when Republicans controlled both chambers. It was approved in the Republican-ruled Senate last session but failed to pass a Democrat-controlled committee on a 5-5 vote.

If the bill does not pass this year, the process must begin anew, and the earliest it could be on the ballot for voters to have the final say is 2012.

The amendment died last year amid resistance from representatives of Indiana businesses who were concerned that it would jeopardize their ability to recruit employees and offer domestic partner benefits. Since then, the Senate had been reluctant to take the lead.

Sen. Brandt Hershman, R-Wheatfield, is sponsoring the amendment in the Senate. He said Friday that despite the House’s lack of action, he’s glad the proposal will get a Senate hearing.

Walter Botich, legislative chair of Indiana Equality, a gay rights organization, said he was not surprised the Senate would give the bill a hearing. But he agrees with Pelath that the General Assembly has more important business to deal with.

“There are better things for the state to be worrying about,” Botich said.