A bill to ban access to health care for transgender youth killed by a legislative panel last week was revived Thursday by the Louisiana Senate, which means one of the most divisive issues facing the Legislature is still up for debate.

House Bill 648, sponsored by state Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, was sidelined by the Senate Health and Welfare Committee last week on a mostly party-line vote. Committee Chairman Sen. Fred Mills, R-Parks, sided with Democrats in voting to kill the measure. In the days since, conservative lawmakers supporting that bill have negotiated to restore it.

A committee vote to involuntarily defer a bill usually signals death, but legislative rules do allow bills to be removed from a committee and sent to the Senate floor or to a different panel. The Senate voted 26-12 late Thursday to revive the bill and send it to the Judiciary A Committee.