A bid to give Florida's two major research universities wide power overt tuition keeps moving through the Legislature.

A divided House panel on Tuesday voted for a bill that would allow the University of Florida and Florida State University to raise tuition above the current 15 percent a year cap.

The 11-7 vote, however, came after Democratic legislators voiced concerns about allowing large tuition hikes during tough economic times.

The legislation would allow any university that meets a list of requirements, including spending at least $200 million on research to ask the Board of Governors to raise tuition above the 15 percent cap. Universities could also set different rates for different majors.

Gov. Rick Scott has called for keeping tuition flat this year.