ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's Legislature has voted to extend unemployment insurance for thousands of laid-off miners on the Iron Range.

The long-awaited agreement had been hung up for weeks on a dispute over a tax break for businesses. House Republicans had pushed to have that measure linked to a 26-week unemployment extension.

Minnesota's Senate unanimously passed the tax break Thursday morning. The House followed suit hours later, passing the tax measure and extending unemployment checks. Gov. Mark Dayton has said he'll sign both bills.

It's an abrupt change from earlier Thursday, when Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk doubted whether a relief package would come together.

The tax break provision will dole out $258 million from the state's unemployment fund to the employers that furnish it.

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