11.   House supporters of the overhaul are circulating a discharge petition to force the House leadership to allow a floor vote on a similar measure.

12.   If the measure is not brought up this week, Gephardt would consider filing a so-called discharge petition to circumvent House leaders and force a vote, said Elmendorf.

13.   In a last-ditch effort, backers launched a drive last month to bring their bill directly to the floor through a parliamentary procedure known as a discharge petition.

14.   It was a discharge petition that leveraged the first positive House vote on this issue, although that effort died in the Senate.

15.   Neither lawmaker signed the discharge petition for the Shays-Meehan bill, and they do not plan on changing their position, their spokesmen said Thursday.

16.   Since the Democrats are in the minority, they are counting on support from moderate Republicans to sign the discharge petitions and help pass legislation.

17.   These same Democrats should now be willing to sign the discharge petition.

18.   They oppose discharge petitions because they say the procedure bypasses the normal process.

19.   One option in the House is a discharge petition, where the signatures of half the House members force floor action on a bill.

20.   One option is a discharge petition, where the signatures of half the House members force floor action on a bill.