A proposed bill to mandate drug tests for welfare recipients won’t make it to the state house.

The South Dakota House Health and Human Services committee voted 9-4 to defer HB 1076 to the 41st day of session, effectively killing the bill in 2016.

Republican Rep. Lynne DiSanto said the bill’s purpose is not to penalize poor people. She said the bill exempted children under 18 who would still be eligible to receive assistance if their parents were disqualified.

DiSanto called the bill a deterrent for those who would test positive for narcotics. In a statement posted online, she said the requirement would encourage sobriety.

Department of Social Services Secretary Lynne Valenti says states with such requirements experience considerable expense with low numbers of people failing drug tests.