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By LAURIE KELLMAN, Associated Press Writer Thu May 4, 4:31 PM ET WASHINGTON - A Senate panel on Thursday advanced a proposed constitutional amendment to ban flag desecration, a measure with little chance of congressional passage but potential political impact in an election year. The House already has passed the amendment. Just bringing up the measure scores points with conservative voters who are crucial to the Republicans' plans to keep control of the House and Senate in November. The 58 Senate co-sponsors are nine short of the two-thirds majority required to send constitutional amendments to the states, where approval by three-fourths of the state legislatures is needed for ratification. "The First Amendment must be protected most when it comes to unpopular speech," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the American Civil Liberties Union 's legislative office in Washington. "Failure to do so fails the very notion of freedom of expression." "The First Amendment w, , ), R-Texas, one of the co-sponsors. "The American people are not required to sit idly by and accept the court's decision." Not on the list is a measure that is anathema to religious conservatives: federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research. President Bush has threatened to veto any legislation that would do that. Forty Democrats sent a letter to Frist on Thursday asking him to bring the stem cell bill up next week, when the Senate will be considering other health-related legislation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn