NASHVILLE (AP) - The sponsor of a bill to give Tennessee lawmakers the power to select nominees to the U.S. Senate is putting the measure on hold until the last floor session of the year.

State Sen. Frank Niceley of Strawberry Plains told Republican colleagues on Monday that the proposal has already had the desired effect of drawing the attention of the public and of the state's current U.S. senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker.

Under the bill, primary elections would be replaced with caucus votes in the General Assembly. Nicely said the measure is aimed at returning a system more closely resembling the era before the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ended legislatures' power to directly appoint senators in 1913.

Democrats said Monday they want to be excluded from the measure.