Critics have said that the Senate bill does not do enough to directly aid struggling homeowners, but House Democrats have already vowed more aggressive legislation.
Voting rights experts in Florida blamed the relatively slow growth in voter rolls this year on a spate of aggressive legislation coming out of the Republican-controlled state assembly.
Mr. Steyer's organization, which participated in a safety advisory group with Facebook but soon left after disagreements with the company's approach, has been pushing for more aggressive legislation.
He remains one of the country's most fearless defenders of human rights, speaking out on issues from the Boko Haram insurgency to the aggressive legislation curtailing the rights of gays and lesbians.
Hoping to head off more aggressive legislation by Democrats, the Bush administration on Wednesday announced its own plan to help homeowners replace expensive adjustable-rate mortgages with more affordable 30-year loans insured by the government.
The plan is expected to run into sharp resistance from the industry, which this week proposed its own set of voluntary rules as part of an effort to head off more aggressive legislation.
Mr. Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, said his committee would now take up more aggressive legislation on the topic, even as lawmakers and regulators continue working on other problems highlighted by the financial crisis, including overseeing executive pay, protecting consumers and regulating the trading of derivatives.
The list of policies that Boch is eager to see eliminated is similar to those of other gun activists: He wants aggressive legislation that will force states to honor concealed-carry permits issued by states with looser gun laws.
But momentum to pass more aggressive legislation has stalled in Congress, leaving it to the states to figure out how to further eliminate pay disparities between men and women. .
President Obama should encourage Senator Reid to oversee the elimination of the filibuster now, while neither party controls Congress, so that legislators have time to adjust before the return of one-party rule and the consequent enactment of more aggressive legislation.
