Legislature Chips Away At Small Items With 1 Week Left

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota lawmakers are trying to tie up loose ends as the Legislature's focus shifts toward surplus spending plans in the session homestretch.

A final Senate vote was scheduled Thursday for a bill to upgrade driver's licenses to meet federal standards for flights. A bill that would replace Minnesota's caucus voting with a straightforward presidential primary was also due for final approval.

There's just more than a week remaining until the Legislature adjourns. Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders were expected to meet Thursday afternoon to try to find a compromise between wildly different transportation funding packages, tax cuts and surplus spending plans.

House lawmakers were also ready to raise a familiar issue Thursday: Lifting the state's ban on Sunday liquor sales. That failed by a wide margin last year.