Originally Posted by CIR_DREAM2009

There's something called a discharge petition that if enough members of the House sign this petition, a bill can skip the committee and head straight for a vote in the full floor.

According to Wikipedia, which isn't exactly the best source, this needs 218 members for a discharge petition to work. I don't know if this will be part of any broader strategy by the House Dems, but it's there as an option.