WASHINGTON -- The Republican-controlled Senate refused to limit consumer interest rates at 30 percent yesterday as it moved methodically toward passage of legislation making it harder to shed personal debts in bankruptcy.

The vote was a bipartisan 74-24 to scuttle an amendment by Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., who said consumers must pay interest rates as high as 1,059 percent when they borrow money.

But Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said Dayton's proposal would pre-empt state laws, including those that fix an interest rate ceiling below 30 percent.

Dayton's proposal was the latest in a string of unsuccessful Democratic attempts to soften the impact of the measure on consumers.

A bipartisan coalition in Congress, backed by credit card companies and other business interests, has been struggling for eight years to enact a bankruptcy bill. A dispute over abortion protesters who might use bankruptcy proceedings to avoid payment of court fines has thwarted earlier attempts at compromise.

Several Republicans suggested during the day that, barring unexpected changes, the GOP-controlled House may be willing to approve the bill that is moving through the Senate, eliminating the need for time-consuming congressional negotiations and allowing the measure to reach President Bush's desk quickly.