Gov. Robert Bentley's plan to build new state prisons died tonight with the end of the legislative session.

The House of Representatives let the bill die after the Senate approved a revised version at about 10:50 p.m.

The plan initially called for borrowing up to $800 million to build three new men's prisons and a new women's prison to replace Julia Tutwiler Prison.

A conference committee scaled it back to two men's prisons, the women's prison and a total bond issue of up to $550 million tonight.

The Senate passed that version by a vote of 23-12.

That left enough time for it to pass the House before the session ended at midnight.

But the House did not take it up for a vote.

House Speaker Mike Hubbard said there were not enough votes to end debate on the bill in time for a vote before midnight.

Under House rules, opponents could have extended the debate past midnight without a cloture vote, which requires three-fifths approval.

The speaker said the major revisions to the bill on the last day hurt its chances.

"I just got the feeling that a number of members were uncomfortable with it because it had changed so much," Hubbard said.

Bentley's office did not respond to a request for comment on the failure of the bill.

Hubbard supported the bill from the time Bentley announced it in February and said he was disappointed.

"Certainly the problem doesn't go away," Hubbard said. "I suspect we'll be dealing with it, if not next session, we may be doing it before session. It may be something we have to do in a special."

State prisons have about 24,000 inmates in prisons designed for 13,000, or a population about 180 percent of designed capacity.

Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, supported the prison bill and thought the revised version passed by the Senate was good legislation.

He said lawmakers will try again.

"The prison issue is a serious issue in the state," Marsh said. "We know that. We've got to address it.

"We showed today we're willing to do that and we'll do it again next year."

Marsh said he was not opposed to Bentley calling a special session on prisons and on funding for Medicaid, although he said he was not advocating that.

Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery, chairman of the House Black Caucus, said there were too many unanswered questions about the prison plan.

"I think they need to go back to the drawing board and come with a proposed plan that makes a little more sense," Knight said.

"I think there is no question that something has to be done. But there was not enough time, not enough effort for them to try to make this make sense to all the members of the Legislature.

"When you're talking about $800 million over a 30-year period, they need to answer a lot of questions."

Updated at 1:26 a.m. to add quotes from Mike Hubbard, Del Marsh and John Knight.