Huntsman, who supports the concept of tuition tax credits, would prefer a stronger hold-harmless provision, fraud protection and possible examination of the credit amount, education deputy Tim Bridgewater said. The Governor's Office also has been meeting with legislators on both sides of the debate to hear their feelings.

"We have voiced our concerns . . . we hope legislators respond," Bridgewater said. "Huntsman is a governor who is comfortable with education reform to make Utah's system more competitive. . . . Our challenge to the education system is to not to be afraid of reform."

Tuition tax credit advocates know about the proposed amendments and say they have no concerns.

"From the beginning this has been a very collaborative process," said Royce Van Tassell of Education Excellence Utah. "(Working together), we're going to get a better bill."

But public education advocates instead view the situation as altering the bill until it can pass, regardless of whether it's good for students.

E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com