State Senate Will Vote On H. 442 Today

If enough Senators vote according to their convictions, the Sullivan Bill to eliminate the teaching of "atheistic communism" in Massachusetts educational institutions will be killed when it comes up for a vote in the State Senate this afternoon, sources close to the legislative machinery said last night.

Republicans are almost unanimously opposed to the proposed measure and several of Sullivan's fellow Democrats have expressed disfavor with the bill. However, the bill, H 442, is not a party issue.

Debate Unlikely

Debate on H 442 is unlikely because discussion, and if possible a vote, on the Massachusetts budget is also scheduled for this afternoon and the Sullivan Bill is a relatively minor measure in the General Court.

Considerable pressure, though, demanding rejection of the Sullivan Bill has been put on Senators during the past week by members of the Civil Liberties Union and the Progressive Party, who may succeed in making a bigger issue of H 442 than it originally was.

Lawmakers Reluctant

A roll call vote on Sullivan's suggested law will make its defeat more difficult because many legislators are reluctant to publicly oppose a measure such as H 442 lest they be branded "communist sympathizers."

Senator Summer G. Whittier, a Republican member of the General Court's Education Committee, last night called the provisions of H 442 "not a healthy position to take in the country. It is unwise to destroy the liberties we already have."