A Senate committee has endorsed a proposal to amend the Kansas Constitution to give only the Legislature the authority to determine funding for public schools, rather than the courts.

The voice vote Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee sends the measure to the GOP-controlled Senate for debate. Republicans outnumber Democrats 32-8.

Supporters say changing the constitution would limit the power of the state’s judicial branch to review lawsuits over school funding.

A Shawnee County District Court ruled in January that the state’s system for school finance was unconstitutional. The court ordered legislators to increase spending by more than $440 million for the next school year.

Legislators want to put the constitutional amendment before voters in the August 2014 primary.