Senate Republicans decided Wednesday to keep their internal conference rule against earmarks, declining to join House Republicans in officially permitting members to take part in Democrats’ revamped special project funding process.

But even though the conference rule remains in place, it can’t stop Republicans who to want to participate in the practice of allowing members of Congress to designate direct spending for certain programs or projects in their districts while circumventing the normal appropriations process, a system that Democrats revived this year after a 10-year pause.