The next battleground was the minimum wage, where Senator Dole, as majority leader, has used a variety of parliamentary devices to prevent a vote for more than a month.

Now it is standard practice for a bill's opponents to use multiple amendments, consecutive roll-calls and other parliamentary devices to prevent a vote.

In those days, the Senate spent much of its time acting as a "Committee of the Whole," a parliamentary device for facilitating the legislative process.

Mr. Thurmond, in an interview, rejected Democratic charges that he was using parliamentary devices and Senate tradition to prevent action.

The second goal is to fine-tune the parliamentary devices that enforce the proposed limits on unfunded mandates.

That is a parliamentary device allowing the leaders to pass the legislation themselves by voice vote after ascertaining that no senator would object.

The resolution also puts an end to several parliamentary devices that Republicans often used to stymie debate and control legislation.

But the House vote, while overwhelming, came on a parliamentary device of no real authority, and it was not clear what the legislative outcome would be.

He has extremely firm convictions and believes in using every parliamentary device at his disposal to achieve his objectives.

Using one parliamentary device or another, it is possible to filibuster one measure at least four times.