AUGUSTA – A bill to authorize Maine’s attorney general to sue the federal government over President Bush’s centerpiece school reform law has received a strong endorsement from a legislative committee, enhancing its chances of passage.

The bill that won unanimous support of the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, LD 676, says the federal government has not adequately funded the No Child Left Behind Act.

Democratic Gov. John Baldacci has expressed his support for state legal action labeling the school reform law as an unfunded mandate.

The bill’s sponsor, Senate Majority Leader Michael Brennan, cites state Education Department figures showing the program is expected to cost Maine at least $22 million over a six-year period from 2003 through 2008.

The federal government is expected to pay $11 million to cover the cost of the program during those years, said Brennan, D-Portland.

The National Education Association and its affiliates in several states are already suing over the issue.