The members say they hope to attach the proposal to the child tax credit bill in hope of drawing votes from Democrats representing those states: Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
Representative Patrick J. Murphy, Democrat of Pennsylvania and a leading advocate in the House for repeal, is hoping to attach the proposal to a defense authorization bill that will come up for a vote on Thursday.
Senator Phil Gramm, Republican of Texas, vowed to fight any attempt by Democrats to attach the proposal to his homeland security bill, cosponsored by Mr. Miller, which includes the president's language on worker rights.
So far, Senators Paul Wellstone of Minnesota and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, both Democrats, have scuttled Republican efforts to attach the proposal onto unrelated legislation where critics would get little opportunity to amend its punitive provisions.
Attach this to the container.
In trying to attach their proposal to measures to relieve the property insurers, the life insurers are trying to distinguish themselves from an array of industries seeking help.
Conservative Republicans like David Vitter of Louisiana also support the idea, and Mr. Sanders says he believes he can win the 60 votes needed to attach his proposal to the bill.
Under fire from women's groups, the leader of the independent Democrats, Senator Jeffrey D. Klein of the Bronx, sought to attach the abortion proposal to a health care bill, but fell one vote short of success.
The Senate majority leader, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, and other backers of energy legislation were also thinking of trying to attach the new proposal to a highway and mass transit bill that is on the Senate floor, but that legislation has significant troubles of its own and its sponsors worried that the energy proposal could cause it to unravel entirely.
They sought to attach their proposals to what they probably regarded as must-pass legislation -- sometimes they succeeded, sometimes they failed -- and Congress then raised the debt limit to avoid a default.
