Topeka ? A Kansas House committee is considering a proposed change in the state constitution to protect the voting rights of the mentally ill.

The Federal and State Affairs Committee has scheduled a hearing Tuesday on the issue Tuesday.

No existing law bars voting by Kansans with mental illness, but the state constitution still allows the Legislature to approve such a ban.

The proposed amendment would delete that provision.

Supporters say the proposal is an important gesture because many Kansans are diagnosed with conditions such as depression or bipolar disorder.

The Senate approved the measure last month. Adoption by a two-thirds majority in the House would put it on the Nov. 2 ballot for approval by a simple majority of voters.