NASHVILLE (AP) - A proposal to redraw Tennessee's judicial districts for the first time since 1984 was killed on Friday when House members voted against it.

The lower chamber voted 66-28 to defeat the measure sponsored by Republican Rep. Jon Lundberg of Bristol. The companion bill was approved 27-4 earlier this month.

The plan from Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville would affect 22 counties in eight districts. The number of judicial districts has been reduced from 31 to 29.

Most of the House members against the measure said they felt if they were being dictated to by the Senate, particularly Ramsey.

"This bill came from the Senate, plain and simple," said Rep. Bill Sanderson, R-Kenton. "They have been dictating from the get go how this session should run. Let's draw a line in the sand. Vote no on the bill, because it's not our bill."

The proposal included input from the public and stakeholder groups and wo uld have created separate judicial districts for Rutherford and Williamson counties because of population growth in the Nashville suburbs over the last three decades.

Two judicial districts in northeastern Tennessee made up of Lake, Dyer, Obion and Weakley county would be merged into a single district. Meanwhile, Coffee County would cease to have its own district and instead be folded into one with Cannon, Warren and Van Buren counties.

Ramsey has said the changes were not expected to affect the positions of existing judges, but that the elimination of two judicial districts will reduce the positions of two prosecutors and public defenders.

He estimated the cost savings of eliminating those four positions would be more than $600,000.

Rep. Tim Wirgau said before Friday's vote that he'd like to see the measure held off for at least a year and lawmakers consider a plan where redistricting is done every two years or longer.

"Let's put something in pl ace so there's a standard," said the Buchanan Republican.