Reopening a debate about Florida’s Sunshine Law, a Senate committee approved a proposal that would give judges discretion in deciding whether to award attorney fees in public-records lawsuits.

The proposal, approved on a 4-3 vote by the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee, would make a major change because judges are now required to award attorney fees to people who successfully file lawsuits against government agencies that have improperly withheld public records.