Museum deaccessioning scandals have made big news in recent years, leading watchdog groups to calls for further government regulation of the practice, but a New York State bill designed to do just that now appears to be a lost cause. In what seems to be the coup de grâce on the bill’s chances, its sponsor in the state senate has withdrawn his support amid strong opposition from nonprofit institutions, the NewYork Times reports.

The legislation would have forbidden cultural institutions from selling holdings to finance operating costs, a controversial practice tantamount to burning patrimonial muscle rather than fat. The National Academy Museum came under scrutiny in 2008 for such practices when it let go of two Hudson River School paintings to make ends meet. The American Association of Museums code of ethics currently states that proceeds from such sales can only be used for "acquisition or direct care of collections."

Resistance to the bill has been coming from some unexpected institutions, which, as the Times put it, felt that the legislation was "overly broad and confining and that they were fully capable of governing themselves." A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for instance, declared the legislation "impractical, unworkable and unneeded," and director Thomas Campbell told the Times that current regulations were adequate.

Other groups had bristled at a requirement that art institutions catalogue every work in their possession, with the Hispanic Society of America stating that such an effort could cost the institution "millions of dollars."

Interestingly, the Times notes that the Metropolitan Opera is currently using its Chagall murals as collateral for a loan, a practice that has landed the Chelsea Art Museum scrutiny from the state government. However, while state law prohibits art museums from using works as collateral, other institutions (like operas) are exempt from those regulations.