LITTLE ROCK—Gov. Mike Beebe said Friday he’s revisiting his past support of the state’s policy prohibiting unmarried couples living together from becoming foster parents, saying Arkansas needs more good homes for children.

The governor has previously said he supported the restriction, which is now being reviewed by state officials. Beebe on Friday questioned whether the prohibition—which took effect before he took office—is still needed.

“I’m not backing away from the ultimate test, which is still what’s in the best interest of the child,” Beebe told The Associated Press. “Now the question then becomes: Is the best interest of the child in foster care best handled by a blanket policy prohibiting it or by a case-by-case situation? Particularly in the light of the fact that we’ve got a problem with the number of foster families.”

Arkansas Department of Human Services officials heard testimony Thursday from advocates urging the state to drop its policy. The restriction is being reviewed as a campaign is under way for a Nov. 4 ballot measure that would put a similar prohibition into law.

Officials with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and other groups are tying the DHS hearing to a campaign against the item on the ballot. State policy has barred allowing unmarried couples living together from becoming foster parents since 2005, but DHS has only recently sought public comments on the rule.

The state currently doesn’t have any policy or law barring unmarried couples from adopting children. The state’s policy was put into effect through an executive directive by DHS officials after Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox struck down a state policy banning gays and lesbians from fostering children. In 2006, the state Supreme Court also struck down the rule barring gay foster parents.

DHS officials decided to begin the process of formalizing that rule and several others instituted through directives. The rule also bars foster homes from allowing any “roomers or boarders,” a restriction that also raised complaints from advocates.

Beebe has previously offered support for the cohabitation restriction on foster care. And during his 2006 campaign for governor, Beebe said he supported reinstating the gay foster parent ban but did not say how such a restriction should be enforced.

“My stance has been that I think the limitation as it applies to foster care is in today’s society in the best interest of a child. I think it’s a totally different rule for adoptions,” Beebe told reporters in October 2007 when asked about the proposed initiated act pushed by the Arkansas Family Council. “There’s a part of the proposal that is consistent with what I’ve espoused and there’s a part that’s inconsistent with what I’ve espoused.”

Beebe’s comments opposing the proposed initiated act have focused almost entirely on the adoption restriction, which he says goes too far.