On a 29-21 vote, the state Senate endorsed the pay package that includes a 3 percent raise for state and University System workers in each of the next two years. The first raise would occur Oct. 1.

House Bill 13, which faces a final vote today before going to Gov. Brian Schweitzer for his signature into law, also increases the state contribution to employee health plans and provides money for agencies to move all state salaries to at least 80 percent of the "market rate" for each position.

Sen. Mike Cooney, D-Helena, who carried the bill in the Senate, said the measure will help the state recruit and retain people in hard-to-fill positions, as well as grant a needed pay increase.

"This bill helps the state of Montana give a long overdue pay increase to the people we hire to do the job for the people of Montana," said Cooney, himself a state employee.

Cooney is head of the Business Standards Division in the state Department of Labor.

The Democrat-controlled Senate acted quickly on HB13, hearing it in committee Monday and refusing to support any amendments, which would require sending the measure back to the Republican-controlled House for a final vote.

Sen. John Cobb, R-Augusta, tried to amend the bill on the Senate floor Tuesday, saying he had found a technical flaw in the bill. His amendment dealt with wording on how state supervisors could approve additional increases for certain employees.

Sen. Roy Brown, R-Billings, also proposed amending the bill Tuesday, saying it should not allow the governor to set the salary for the state political practices commissioner or members of the State Tax Appeals Board. The governor also appoints both positions.

"It nullifies any notion that there is any independence in these bodies," Brown said.

But Democrats voted down both amendments on party-line votes, 26-24.

Several Republicans stood up on the floor to object, saying it was ridiculous to ignore potential problems with the bill because of a fear of sending it back to the House, where it passed last month by a 79-15 margin.

The House, where Republicans have a 50-49 majority, has become entangled in a bitter partisan battle over the state budget, with Democrats vowing to provide no help in passing any Republican-sponsored spending bills this week.

Cooney said if he thought HB13 was flawed, he would agree to amend it and send it back to the House for a final vote on the amended version.

But the bill is fine in its current form and should be sent forward to the governor, he said.

"We have a difference of opinion on whether it's flawed," Cooney said. "I don't think there is a (problem). I'm going to stand firm on that."

Three Republicans joined all 26 Democrats in voting for the final version of the bill Tuesday: Dave Lewis of Helena, Terry Murphy of Caldwell and John Brueggeman of Polson.