Hotly debated evolution bills that critics said would inject religious doctrine into public schools in the guise of science died a quiet death on May 2, the final day of the legislative session. House and Senate supporters, mostly Republicans, were unable to resolve their dispute over two versions of the legislation before the close of the session. The Senate favored a bill (SB 2692) that would have prohibited school officials from punishing teachers who used "scientific information" to challenge evolution. The Senate version was based on model legislation advocated by the Discovery Institute, a Seattle think tank that supports research on intelligent design. That theory holds that some features of the universe and living things can be explained by an "intelligent cause." Some intelligent design advocates claim it's scientific in nature but a federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled that it is a religious concept.

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