WASHINGTON — Buttressed by a parent's anguished plea — "Please, please, please save my little girl" — congressional leaders yesterday announced an agreement that could reconnect Terri Schiavo to a feeding tube and move her case to federal court.

A bill could be signed by President Bush this week. The latest twist would mark the fourth time in 15 years that Schiavo would be hooked up to life support.

"We should investigate every avenue before we take the life from a human being," House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas said during a press conference in Washington. "The least she deserves is to have the federal courts consider her case."

Outside the hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla., where Schiavo spent a second day without nutrition, her parents and sister moved among supporters, thanking them and receiving vigorous handshakes and hugs.

Family spokesman Randall Terry described them as heartened by the action but acutely aware that they "were not out of the woods yet."

No immediate reaction came from Schiavo's husband and guardian, Michael Schiavo, who thought he had won a final battle to remove her from life support.

Already rebuffed by the highest federal and state courts, DeLay and other Republican members of Congress pushed ahead throughout the day and into the night with their legislative crusade on behalf of the severely brain-damaged Florida woman.

Their objective: Pass a bill that would cloak Schiavo — and only Schiavo — in some degree of federal protection and allow her parents to seek federal appeal of their legal setbacks in Florida courts.

"We are confident this compromise will restore nutrition and hydration to Mrs. Schiavo as long as that appeal endures," DeLay said. "Obviously, the judge will have to put the feeding tube back in or she could die before the case is heard."

He and other Republicans said the bill had considerable Democratic support, largely because it was tailored for Schiavo and would not necessarily set a wider precedent. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., said the legislation "should be adopted by both bodies without extensive deliberation."

CHARLES DHARAPAK / AP House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, second from right, speaks to reporters yesterday about the Schiavo case. With him are, from left, Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif.; Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa; and Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn.

The measure requires several parliamentary maneuvers but could be ready for Bush by tomorrow or Tuesday. The president changed his schedule to return to Washington from his Texas ranch today to be on hand to sign the legislation.

The tube that supplied water and nutrition to Schiavo was removed Friday after her parents ran out of options in state court and a previous strategic move by DeLay and other Republicans — a House subpoena naming Schiavo — failed to impress the Florida and U.S. supreme courts.

With that, the final chapter appeared to have begun. As ethical, legal and political controversies boiled around her, Schiavo was expected to linger for a week or two until death arrived. She is 41 and has been on life support since 1990.

"It felt like some peace was happening for Terri," Michael Schiavo told NBC's "Today" yesterday. "And I felt like she was finally going to get what she wants, and be at peace and be with the Lord."

But a few hours later, outside the hospice, Schiavo's mother, Mary Schindler, begged politicians to intervene and find a way — any way — to reconnect the tube.

"My daughter is in the building behind me, starving to death," she said. "We laugh together, we cry together, we smile together, we talk together. ... Please, please, please save my little girl."

Despite calls for a huge turnout, fewer than 100 protesters maintained a vigil at the hospice. Four people engaged in a symbolic burst of civil disobedience: Carrying bread and water, they were arrested on trespassing charges as they tried to enter the building.

Many protesters sang "Amazing Grace" and prayed. Some signs compared Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer and others with Adolf Hitler.

A few shouting matches erupted between demonstrators and others who came to advocate what they called Schiavo's right to die with dignity.

Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in February 1990, apparently triggered by the effects of an eating disorder. Since at least 1993, her parents and husband have engaged in legal and public-relations confrontations over her care and her fate.

The tube was disconnected twice before, in 2002 and 2003. Legal or political entities swiftly intervened both times and hooked her up again.

Doctors say Schiavo's brain damage is irreversible and has left her in a permanent vegetative state; her parents and some other relatives say they see glimmers of a younger Terri and they are not prepared to give up.

"It's clear to us Terri is very much alive and she just needs help," Bobby Schindler, Terri's brother, told NBC yesterday.

That assistance appeared to be arriving.

In a rare display of speedy coordination, representatives of the Senate and House broke through an impasse that arose late Thursday, when the chambers passed separate bills, hours before each was to go into a two-week recess.

Both bills allowed Schiavo's parents to appeal before a federal court, but the Senate version was more restrictive than the House version, as some senators were wary of legislation that would set a wider legal precedent.

DeLay and Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, crafted a solution that essentially accepted the Senate version with what DeLay called "modest" modifications.

As part of the deal and to comply with arcane congressional rules, the Senate convened briefly last night to give formal permission for the House to meet today, when it otherwise would be adjourned for the Easter recess.

The plan is for the House to act on the two-page bill today or just after midnight tomorrow morning. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said the Senate then would act on the House legislation, assuming it passes as envisioned, and rush the bill to the president.

It seemed likely that the action would trigger fresh controversies concerning the balance between state rights and federal rights, between the legislative branches and the judiciary, and between the government and individuals, especially over matters of life and death.

Said DeLay: "For one person, in one state court, to make this decision is too heavy."

Said Michael Schiavo: "He's sitting up there saying that Terri wants to live. How does he know? Has he ever met her? No."

Knight Ridder correspondent Cara Buckley contributed to this report; the explanation of the House-Senate deal was provided by The Associated Press.