CONCORD – Under a new constitutional amendment proposal from Senate leaders, the Legislature would have greater leeway to determine education standards and funding. The Legislature would also have "full power and authority" to determine how much state funding would be raised and distributed and by what method.

The Senate Internal Affairs Committee approved the proposed amendment on a 4-1 vote Wednesday and the Senate is expected to vote on it Feb. 8 or 15.

According to Senate President Peter Bragdon, there is bi-partisan Senate support for the proposed amendment worked on by independent attorneys, Senate leadership and the governor's office.

Under the wording of the amendment, the legislature would have “full power and authority and the responsibility to define reasonable standards for elementary and secondary public education, to establish reasonable standards of accountability, and to mitigate local disparities in educational opportunity and fiscal capacity. Further, the legislature shall have full power and authority to determine the amount of, and the method of raising and distributing, state funding for public education.”

The House and Senate each approved their own education amendments and Gov. John Lynch released his own proposal.

The House, last year, killed the governor's proposal and the Senate's, although House Speaker William O'Brien said Tuesday a constitutional amendment removing the courts from oversight of public education issues remains a priority.