Topeka ? A bill that would have required insurers to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism disorders is probably dead for the 2009 legislative session.

House Bill 2367 had been stuck in committee, and state Rep. Nile Dillmore, D-Wichita, tried to move it to the House floor for debate on Wednesday.

But his motion failed on a 60-60 vote.

“There was a full-court press by the insurance companies to defeat the motion,” Dillmore said.

But, he said, he expected the issue to be back before legislators in 2010. He said it’s a shame that some child may not get the treatment he or she needs because of the failure to pass the bill.

Insurers said the legislation would have driven up insurance premiums.

But advocates for children say the growing number of states that have enacted such a requirement have experienced minimal premium increases, while the long-term payoffs are great because children who receive treatment become higher-functioning students and adults.