At first, the department did not remove Leben's operator, Mr. Rubin, prompting advocates for residents to criticize what they said was lax regulation typical of the state's oversight of the homes.

The proposal prompted advocates, caseworkers and people with H.I.V. to begin what they called a "death watch" for the agency outside City Hall yesterday.

That combination of factors - a city bleeding jobs as a new mayor prepares to take office - has prompted advocates for the homeless to sound the alarm and challenge Mr. Bloomberg to come up with creative solutions.

It is that issue that has prompted advocates for the acceptance of the overweight - they prefer "fat," not wanting to mince words - to attack "Shallow Hal" and its star.

Whether these actions are part of a trend or unrelated incidents, they have prompted environmental advocates like Charles Margulis, a spokesman for the environmental group Greenpeace, to predict big changes.

Two states' overwhelming approval of ballot initiatives last week to require background checks at weekend gun shows is prompting advocates of gun control to predict that the incoming Congress might pass legislation that creates a similar federal law.

The Supreme Court decision has prompted advocates for the disabled to file other lawsuits, has helped them win lower-court judgments and has put new pressure on states to settle pending cases.

That admission has prompted advocates for Chinese immigrants to harshly criticize the I.N.S., accusing it of lax procedures that have led to the violation of the human rights of immigrants in its care.

It is certainly greater than the five million or so Americans who are deaf, blind or paraplegic, prompting advocates of a more expansive definition to claim that Congress meant to err on the side of generous interpretation.

His action prompted advocates to rally behind the bill.