RICHMOND -- Opponents of payday lending scored what may be a temporary victory Saturday when the House of Delegates advanced legislation that would cap the interest lenders could charge on short-term loans of $500 or less.

Against the wishes of the bill's sponsor, the House amended legislation that had been designed to impose less restrictive reforms on an industry that has come under intense scrutiny from lawmakers. The amendment would cap the annual percentage rate for a payday loan at 72 percent, double the maximum interest rate applied to other lending institutions.

The rate cap would reduce the interest on a two-week loan from $15 per $100 to $2.77, said Jamie Fulmer, the director of investor relations for Advance America.

Del. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, attached the amendment to House Bill 2563 after failing earlier in the session to push through a repeal of Virginia's 5-year-old payday lending law. The House approved the amendment by a vote of 55-39. A final vote on the bill could occur Monday.

But its sponsor, Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan County, said he may strike the measure if the rate cap remains in place. Ware said the interest cap would effectively put lenders out of business, rendering them unable to meet payroll costs and other operating expenses.

Critics of payday lending argue that the short-term, high-interest loans force low-income borrowers into a debt trap. The industry's defenders insist payday loans provide legitimate short-term credit that is not available at banks.

Ware's original bill would have limited the number of loans a borrower could have at one time, made extended payment plans available to certain borrowers and forced lenders to make sure their customers meet new eligibility requirements. The Senate already has passed a measure with similar provisions, and the House will consider that measure later in the legislative session.

Fulmer expressed dismay with the proposed rate cap, saying, "It's a model under which we can't operate a business."

A spokeswoman for a coalition of groups advocating repeal of the payday lending law celebrated the House vote.

"If they can't make money off of 72 percent interest, I think they need to reconsider their business plan," said Helen O'Beirne, a spokeswoman for Virginia Partnership to Encourage Responsible Lending.

The payday loan debate was just part of a busy day for the House, which faces a Tuesday deadline to finish work on its own legislation.

The House also advanced legislation requiring girls to be vaccinated for the human papillomavirus before entering the sixth grade, but not before amending the measure to allow parents to choose not to have their daughters vaccinated. HPV is transmitted by sexual or skin-to-skin contact and can lead to cervical cancer. House Bill 2035 adds the HPV vaccine known as Gardasil to the list of required immunizations for school children. But, on a voice vote, the House added an amendment that would allow parents to have their daughters exempted from the HPV requirement after reviewing materials from the Board of Health about the link between HPV and cervical cancer.

In other business Saturday, the House passed a bill increasing the age limit for children to ride in car safety seats. House Bill 1908 would require children younger than 8 to ride in safety seats unless a physician determines that the restraint would be impractical. Critics of the bill, sponsored by Del. Dave Albo, R-Fairfax County, said a three-year increase in the age limit would create expensive and unnecessary burdens for parents.

The House also passed legislation, HB 2802, shifting regulatory control of biosolids from the Department of Health to the Department of Environmental Quality. House Bill 2802, sponsored by Del. Kathy Byron, R-Campbell County, stemmed from complaints that state officials have not adequately addressed concerns about risks associated with the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer on farms. The bill passed without opposition and now heads to the Senate.

The House also passed legislation requiring the Virginia Department of Transportation to analyze law enforcement and accident data before increasing the speed limit on certain sections of U.S. 460 in Botetourt County. County officials have raised concerns about a VDOT proposal to increase the speed limit from 55 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour on segments between U.S. 220 and the Bedford County line.

House Bill 3024, sponsored by Del. William Fralin, R-Roanoke, passed by a 94-4 vote.