But Democrats say the vote was not legal and have since refused to enter the chamber, depriving Republicans of a quorum to take up legislative business.
"Someone has to convince me that we will be taking up a legislative agenda right after the inauguration," he said.
Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri, a member of the Republican leadership, indicated he, too, was leaning toward voting for taking up the legislation on Thursday, although he left open the chances of a filibuster at the end of the legislative fight.
To pull this off, the Democrats need to take three steps: First, they should announce the order in which they will take up their legislative agenda.
After the Republican and Democratic candidates for the seat promised to do away with the tax, a perennial irritant to suburbanites, the cause was taken up by legislative leaders of both parties trying to bolster their parties' claims to tax cutting and the allegiance of suburban voters.
Last month, New Hampshire's Tea Party-dominated legislature took up a legislative package similar to that in Arizona.
Although policy-makers were willing to engage in hypothetical discussions about the methodology, difficulties in identifying potential pilots suggest a wider problem in encouraging take up without legislative imperatives.
According to a Legislative Counsel opinion provided to state Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood), the requirement was adopted because of complaints that Coliseum events were "taking up all the parking space at Exposition Park".
But the bill is not expected to be taken up before the legislative session ends in two weeks.
Because it is an urgency measure, it theoretically could be taken up later, but legislative leaders said the decision to keep it in committee signals its demise.
