A key state legislative committee missed a deadline on Monday to advance a bill that would expand some legal rights for same-sex couples, such as health benefits and end-of-life medical decisions.

The Judiciary Committee approved the bill at about 5 p.m. — its deadline to act on new bills this year. But a clerk was unable to deliver the vote tally before 5 p.m., and the bill was rejected by the Legislative Commissioners Office.

Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, the panel’s House chairman, said he believed the bill still would be debated on the House floor. The bill — a compromise within the committee — did not mention gay marriage, civil unions, or registration of domestic partners. Instead, it focused on legal documents regarding medical and burial decisions, and visitation rights at hospitals and nursing homes.

–Associated Press