Topeka ? Lawmakers today approved again a major regents bill after learning that because of an error Gov. Kathleen Sebelius had signed into law the wrong bill.

One of the most important provisions was a retroactive change exempting students who are 16 or 17 and attending both high school and a state technical, vocational or regents institutions from the compulsory school attendance law. Officials have said the change is needed to avoid millions of dollars in federal costs because the current law conflicts with federal regulations.

“It definitely has significant financial implications,” Kip Peterson, a spokesman for the Kansas Board of Regents, said.

Sebelius signed the bill on May 17, but apparently she was given an incorrect and incomplete version, which was not what the Legislature had approved.

Meeting on the final day of the session — usually just a ceremonial conclusion — the Legislature quickly re-approved the corrected measure.

The bill also includes numerous other provisions affecting higher education, including measures that would waive tuition for children in foster care and prohibit schools from using a students’ social security number on their identification cards.