A Senate panel on Tuesday approved the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be Health and Human Services secretary, clearing the way for her expected confirmation, although the timing of a vote is unclear.

The Finance Committee voted, 15-8, to approve her nomination, disregarding errors she made in her tax returns and in a report on her campaign finances. Two of the panel’s Republicans, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and Pat Roberts of Kansas, voted in support of Sebelius, a Democrat.

But Republicans who oppose Sebelius could attempt to filibuster her nomination over concerns about her record supporting abortion rights and her ties to a controversial Kansas abortion provider.

In a report to the committee dated April 2, Sebelius initially understated the amount of money that Dr. George Tiller had contributed to her campaigns. Tiller is a controversial figure because he is one of the few abortion providers in the country willing to perform the procedure in the second or third trimester of a pregnancy.

Sebelius originally reported that Tiller had contributed $12,450 to her campaigns for Kansas insurance commissioner between 1994 and 2001. She subsequently revised the report, updating the total to $39,600, after anti-abortion group Operation Rescue publicized records of additional contributions from Tiller to a political action committee controlled by Sebelius.

Sebelius called the omission “inadvertent.” She says Tiller has not contributed to her campaigns since she won election as governor in 2002.

Kyl’s Concerns About Research Practices

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl , R-Ariz., said before the Finance Committee vote that he was not satisfied with Sebelius’ explanation of her — or the Obama administration’s — position on the use of “comparative effectiveness” research. Such studies test different medical treatments against each other to determine which are most effective.

Kyl said Sebelius offered no assurances that the government would not use results of the tests — including comparative cost information — to deny payment for some treatments.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., said Reid hopes to hold a confirmation vote on Sebelius “as soon as possible.” The timing, he said, is largely dependent on how vigorously Republicans work to delay her confirmation. Anti-abortion groups have urged Republicans to oppose her nomination.

President Obama’s first nominee for the HHS job, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D. (1987-2005), withdrew his nomination in early February after it was disclosed that he had paid $140,000 in back taxes and interest in January.

Sebelius also had tax issues, though they were minor in comparison. She paid an additional $7,040 in taxes and $878 in interest to the IRS after her nomination because of errors in her returns from 2005 to 2007 that were discovered by an accountant she and her husband hired in advance of her confirmation hearings. Finance Committee members from both parties have expressed little concern about Sebelius’ tax disclosure.

Once confirmed, Sebelius would lead a sprawling department responsible for the government’s largest health programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health. The budget for HHS, including entitlement programs, exceeds $600 billion, rivaling even Defense spending.