Controversy has been swirling around a tougher bill against domestic violence for almost two weeks now, and instead of calming down it may be flaring up.

The bill was tabled last week by the House Judiciary committee, while it passed a bill to make cockfighting a felony.

Rep. John Graham Altman became a lightning rod for criticism when he said domestic abuse victims should simply leave. When a television reporter asked whether it looked like the committee put more value on the life of a gamecock than a woman, Altman told the reporter she wasn't very bright.

Abuse victims protested outside Altman's Charleston home and in front of the Statehouse, and House leaders wrote a new, tougher version of the bill and expected it would pass this week.

A bill has to pass either the House or Senate by May 1st to have a realistic chance of passing this year. After that deadline, the other body must agree by a two-thirds vote to take up the bill.

When the domestic violence bill came up Thursday, Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, put up several amendments to make major changes to the bill. The House debated one, then Speaker David Wilkins said there was no way lawmakers could debate all the amendments and pass the bill this week. So the House adjourned without passing it.

"I'm very disappointed," said Laura Hudson, a victims' advocate. "I'm very angry, because there's been a lot of effort to make this bill come together and get it off the floor by the May 1st deadline." 

She also criticized Rep. Rutherford, saying he was the one who moved to table the bill originally in committee. "I think it's because he's thinking about his wallet. He's a criminal defense attorney and all of his amendments have to do with expungements and making it easier for criminal domestic violence offenders," she said.

Rep. Rutherford says that's not true, that if he wanted to protect his wallet, he could make more money by letting the bill pass as it was. He says the current version of the bill and its tougher penalties for domestic violence would have the opposite effect of what's intended.

"The current version will result in a lack of convictions, not more," he told News Channel 7. "It will result in a number of people having to be pled down to a criminal domestic violence 1st offense rather than any of these enhanced penalties. It's got a bunch of mandatory minimum sentences, which does not work in our court system.

"I go to the courtroom every day. I talk to prosecutors and judges, and they'll tell you it's hard getting convictions when the victim is standing there going, 'Please don't convict my  husband. He's going to lose his job.' And so because of that, once you increase the penalties, you'll get less convictions, not more."

He and supporters of the bill expect the House to pass it next week. Spartanburg Senator Jim Ritchie, Majority Whip, says because of the serious nature of domestic violence, he thinks the Senate will give the bill the two-thirds vote needed to bring it up and keep it alive for the year.