HARRISBURG — A bill that would require taxpayers to subsidize private school tuition for students from lower-income families passed a committee-level vote Tuesday after two hours of debate about its constitutionality, religious freedom and the cost to public schools.

The state Senate Education Committee voted 8-2 to approve a school voucher bill that is a top priority of some powerful Republican lawmakers.

In theory, the bill would help tens of thousands of the state’s poorest children attend other public, private or religious schools. A portion of the taxpayer money now going to their school districts would follow the child and pay for their education in their new setting.

At times, the committee’s debate degenerated into testy exchanges between Democratic Sen. Anthony Williams, a co-sponsor, and two fellow Democrats, Jim Ferlo and Daylin Leach, who oppose the bill as an ideological, unconstitutional and unworkable mess that will erode conditions in some of Pennsylvania’s most troubled schools.

All six Republicans on the panel supported the bill on a final vote, as did two Democrats, Williams and Andrew Dinniman. Supporters say the bill would free children trapped in broken, unsafe or poorly performing schools.

With the panel’s Republican majority united, it turned aside a slew of amendments proposed by Democrats. Those included measures to audit the taxpayer money received by private schools, prohibit the state from diverting voucher money away from school districts and to allow students to opt out of religious instruction or ceremonies at private religious schools.

The final thought of the debate before the vote was given by Leach, who warned that a section of the state constitution will be a major impediment.

“In order to allocate any money that goes to a private school ... it requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature,” said Leach, D-Montgomery. He added that he’s “never even heard an articulation of why that doesn’t apply here.”