The Senate parliamentarian delivered bad news Tuesday to Democrats hoping to block a Bush administration directive on children’s health insurance: They were too slow.

Last week, Democrats introduced a “resolution of disapproval” against a directive the administration issued in August 2007. The resolution, had it been introduced earlier in the month it would have been “privileged” on the Senate floor, meaning it could not be filibustered or subject to other dilatory tactics.

But the parliamentarian told the resolution’s sponsors Tuesday, led by Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. , that because they did not introduce it until July 17, it would not have privileged status under the Congressional Review Act.

Democrats had planned for the Finance Committee to vote on the resolution Wednesday. They were reassessing in the wake of the parliamentarian’s decision, and it is not clear if the markup will proceed.

The resolution was aimed at negating an administration directive spelling out new requirements states would have to meet before expanding their children’s health insurance programs. One requirement was that states show they are covering 95 percent of all children in families with incomes of less than twice the poverty level — $42,400 for a family of four — before expanding their programs to cover families earning more than 250 percent of the poverty level.

Some states said that requirement would be difficult or impossible to meet. At least four states have sued to have the directive overturned.