A controversial bill in Tallahassee is being compared to Indiana's religious freedom law. It would allow private adoption agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples.



The bill passed a key hurdle Thursday.



The Sanford Republican who wrote the bill, Representative Jason Brodeur, is himself adopted. He said private agencies shouldn't have to abandon their deeply-held private beliefs about what's best for kids.



But critics are calling the measure "Indiana-style discrimination". They also point out, Florida's gay adoption ban was overturned by a court in 2010, and just a few weeks ago, the Republican House voted to formally allow gay adoptions.



Even some Republicans who voted for the bill in committee today agree with equality Florida's Carlos Smith that it might violate the equal protection clause of the constitution.



“These agencies are contracted by the state to do the work of government,” Smith said. “They are funded by taxpayers to do this, which means that this bill is even worse than Indiana. It's worse because it promotes state-sanctioned and taxpayer-funded discrimination, which is certainly unconstitutional. And the timing here couldn't be worse - this would be a disaster for Florida.”



The bill passed the house judiciary committee along party lines, with every Democrat voting 'no'. It's worth noting there isn't a Senate version - that makes it unlikely it'll get a hearing in the upper chamber, and if that doesn't happen, it could wind up dying before lawmakers head home in May.



Right now, there are 82 private adoption agencies in Florida and many of them are funded by churches.