HARRISBURG -- State senators, clearly stung by the overwhelmingly negative public reaction to pay raises they approved in July, are expected to vote today on a move to repeal at least part of the controversial increases.

Several of them, including Sens. Sean Logan, D-Monroe- ville, and John Pippy, R-Moon, said yesterday they expect to act on a measure that would rescind the "unvouchered expenses" portion of the pay raises, which range from 16 percent to 34 percent.

The unvouchered expenses provision allows lawmakers to take the higher compensation immediately, rather than waiting until they officially start in December 2006. So far, 134 of the 253 legislators have decided to take the higher pay, with payments made Aug. 1, Sept. 1, Oct. 1 and Nov. 1.

Senate Democrats said they expect many of their 20-member caucus to vote to repeal the unvouchered expenses, and several GOP senators also said yesterday they'll support the move, increasing the chances that it could get a majority of the 50 votes in the Senate. The GOP controls the Senate by a 30-20 margin.

The Senate also is expected to vote today on some amendments to the state's slot machine law, but most of the attention will be focused on the pay raises.

"There seems to be growing momentum in the Senate Republican caucus for repeal of the unvouchered expenses," said Mr. Pippy. "There is significant interest in our caucus to do it."

Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless, said last week she'd like to repeal the unvouchered expenses, as did Sen. Jane Earll, R-Erie.

Sens. Jake Corman, R-Centre, and John Rafferty, R-Montgomery, also said yesterday they support the repeal.

"It's appropriate for us to move to end the unvouchered expenses," said Mr. Corman.

"Clearly, of all the controversy about the pay raise, the unvouchered expense provision has drawn the most controversy."

At least 26 votes would be needed today to repeal the unvouchered expenses, and then the issue would move to the House, where its outcome is uncertain.

So far, House Speaker John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, has said he has no plans to hold a vote on repealing all or part of the pay raises unless a majority of the chamber, 102 members, want to do so.

Whether the Senate will take up the larger issue of repealing the entire raise package isn't known.

Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin, who is seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination, said he's ready to repeal both. Some Democratic senators said privately they would like to do that, but the GOP runs the chamber and may not allow discussion of repealing all the raises.

The much-criticized pay raises were approved by the Legislature just after midnight on July 7, without any public hearings or discussion.

Legislators' base pay increased from $69,647 to $81,050 a year, with committee chairmen and party caucus leaders making more.

The highest ranking legislators, Mr. Perzel in the House and Senate President Pro Tem Robert Jubelirer, R-Altoona, top out at more than $145,000 a year.

Since Aug. 1, 134 lawmakers have been taking the pay raises in the form of additional expense money for which no receipts have to be submitted.

Two court rulings have upheld the practice, under the much-criticized theory that expenses aren't the same as salary, but many members of the public have condemned the practice.

After voting on the pay raise issue, senators are expected to consider changes to the slot machine law passed in July 2004.

A wide-ranging "omnibus" amendment approved by the Appropriations Committee yesterday will be voted on by the full Senate today.

The major provisions would:

Prevent elected public officials or their immediate families from owning any interest in a casino, a gambling operator or a vendor doing business with the 14 casinos coming to Pennsylvania.

The 2004 law allowed public officials to own up to 1 percent of a gaming company, a provision that has drawn considerable criticism from the public.

Prevent gaming board members or their families from engaging in any political activity, including raising funds for a candidate, holding office themselves, endorsing candidates for office or even appearing at political events.

Create a gaming unit within the attorney general's office. Under the 2004 law, most of the gaming regulatory matters were to be handled by the Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement, part of the gaming board, or by the Pennsylvania State Police. Some lawmakers have said the attorney general needs to be have authority over gaming.