LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska lawmakers have given initial approval to a bill that could keep a child care subsidy for low-income families flat even as costs rise.

Senators voted 31-10 on Wednesday to advance a measure that could let the subsidy slip as low as the 50th percentile of what all providers charge. The state now must pay a rate between the 60th and 75th percentile.

Several senators say the bill would place too high a burden on low-income families who rely on the child care subsidy. They say any change in the subsidy could cause parents to leave their jobs because they no longer could afford child care.

Supporters of the measure say legislators have to make tough decisions to address a projected $895 million revenue shortfall in the next two years.