| West Virginia senators maneuvered to prevent a record of their vote, killing a proposed bill that would give protection for whistle-blowing coal miners.
A majority in the Senate Judiciary Committee shot down the bill that aimed to shield miners from retaliation if they reported unsafe conditions.
The committee voted down the measure, refusing to make a record using a roll call vote.
Some Senators said the bill went too far, and that state law already protects would-be whistleblowers.
Supporters say West Virginia miners say otherwise, arguing that the bill could have saved lives at the Sago Mine disaster, which killed a dozen miners in 2006.
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