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St. Paul, Minn. (AP)

Minn. lawmakers make final construction bill push

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After a standoff that has lasted weeks, Minnesota lawmakers are ready to send Gov. Tim Pawlenty a sizable construction projects bill.

The Minnesota House and Senate planned final votes on Thursday on the $1 billion package. A day earlier, Pawlenty said he was inclined to sign the bill and trim it using his line-item veto.

The proposal includes hundreds of projects, including new or renovated buildings on college campuses, at prisons and at civic centers.

The state takes on long-term debt to pay for them.

Pawlenty and legislative Democrats were at odds over the size of the bill and the mix of projects in it.

The GOP governor hasn't said how deeply he'll cut the bill, but he has said before he wanted to keep a final package below $725 million.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)