Final action on a bill to expand collective bargaining rights for public safety employees is likely next week after Senate leaders canceled Friday test votes on the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., late Thursday scrapped a pair of scheduled votes to limit debate on the bill, saying leaders of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee were close to a bipartisan deal on how to handle amendments.

“They believe they can get from here to there and work out something so that we can wind up completing the bill,” Reid said. “I think people favor this legislation and they would vote for cloture if there is more of an opportunity to work on amendments.”

Democratic leaders bypassed the committee and brought the bill directly to the floor, drawing complaints from Michael B. Enzi , R-Wyo., the committee’s ranking Republican, that the measure had not been properly vetted.

The bill would provide broad collective bargaining rights to police, fire fighters, and other emergency personnel in localities with a population of at least 5,000 or a minimum of 25 full-time employees. First responders in most states already have at least some bargaining rights, and bill sponsors say such privileges should be extended to all public safety employees.

Opponents, including the White House, which has threatened a veto, say the new rights could compromise national security.

The bill has strong bipartisan support. The House passed it 314-97 on July 17, and the measure has gained 11 Republican senators as cosponsors.

Supporting the expansion of labor unions is unusual for Republicans, but experts say the limited scope of the union expansion envisioned in the bill — it applies only to police, fire and other emergency personnel and prohibits strikes — is a potentially defensible position for Republicans.

Still, some Republicans have criticized the bill as a unfunded mandate, and others say the measure is an unconstitutional infringement on state and local authority.