After years of stalling in the House, legislation giving police more power to ticket unbuckled motorists is cruising toward passage.

The House passed the so-called primary seat belt law on Monday 73-60. The measure has long fared better in the Senate, and Pawlenty has voiced his support. The Senate later approved the bill 47-19, sending it to the governor.

The bill gives police the ability to pull over and ticket motorists solely because they or their passengers aren’t buckled up. Currently, law enforcement must spot another traffic offense to make the stop.

An elections bill would move the state’s primary elections from September to early August, which proponents say should give more time for voters to compare their general election choices and return absentee ballots if they live overseas.

An attempt to allow no-excuse early voting was removed from the bill, but there were other absentee ballot law changes crafted in response to the state’s lengthy 2008 Senate race. Local election officials would have to make extra efforts to contact voters whose ballots are rejected and give them the option of casting a new one.

The Senate passed it 44-20; the House vote was 85-49.

Pawlenty hasn’t said what he’ll do with the bill; his fellow Republicans wanted a requirement that voters show photo identification at the polls.

But Rep. Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, said the changes are too important to put off.

“If we wait to do it next year, most of the changes won’t go into effect in the 2010 election,” he said.

Both houses passed a bill dividing up sales tax money for habitat, water and cultural projects.