NASHVILLE (AP) - The House sponsor of a proposal to create a school voucher program in Tennessee says he doesn't have the votes to pass the measure aimed at covering private school tuition for children attending some the state's worst public schools.

Republican state Rep. Bill Dunn of Knoxville called off a scheduled floor vote on Thursday morning before taking up a series of proposed amendments.

Dunn had offered to limit the measure to apply to just the state's four largest counties, and had even been willing to have it apply only to just Shelby County.

Opponents had raised concerns of siphoning funding from public school systems to pay for the vouchers worth about $7,000 per student.

The Senate overwhelmingly approved its version of the bill last year.