President Barack Obama's goal of allowing bankruptcy judges to modify the terms of a home mortgage hit a roadblock when the Senate refused to approve the measure April 30, 2009.

The measure was offered as an amendment to a larger housing bill and failed 45 to 51.

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., who had sponsored the measure, said he wasn't giving up.

"While I'm disappointed with the outcome of today's vote, I'll continue to bring this issue to the floor until the Senate decides to put the interests of homeowners above the interests of bankers," Durbin said in a statement after the vote. "When I first proposed this legislation two years ago, nearly 2 million homeowners were at risk of losing their homes. Today, that number has skyrocketed to over 8 million homes, with nearly 1 in 6 mortgages in America on the verge of foreclosure. We've given the bankers who got us into this crisis every opportunity to responsibly address this crisis and they have failed. I'll keep working to give homeowners every legal means to save their homes."

Advocates for homeowners in foreclosure also said they hoped to see the bill revived. MoveOn.org has launched an ad campaign targeting senators who voted against the bill and who have accepted campaign contributions from the financial industry.

The White House still supports the measure. "The President continues to support balanced bankruptcy reform to permit judicial modifications of mortgages for borrowers who have run out of options and will continue to work with Congress on housing policies that support the Making Home Affordable programs and strengthen the housing market," said White House spokesman Nick Shapiro.

It's too soon to say whether this measure can be revived. The Senate vote was not a positive sign, however. So we rate this promise Stalled.