COLUMBIA, S.C. - A bill to delay the start of school in South Carolina will not get action this year, a key senator says.

A subcommittee voted 4-4 on the bill by Sen. Luke Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach, earlier this week. Rankin then asked that the bill, which would prevent schools from opening before Aug. 25, not be considered by the full Education Committee this year.

"I didn't see it advancing," he said.

The bill can be taken up again next year, but if the full committee voted it down now it would be dead for the next session as well, Rankin said.

Sen. John Courson, R-Columbia, the committee chairman, said he opposes the bill and so do most of the members.

Courson said he has children in school and would like to see a later starting date, "but I think it's a local matter."

Tourism leaders say early school-start dates have cost businesses because fewer people are vacationing in August. In recent years, schools have opened earlier to allow more preparation for accountability tests.

"We're all disappointed," said Shep Guyton, chairman of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. "We have not done a good job of selling our position."