North Dakota legislative leaders have struck a bargain on an important part of a two-year compensation package for state government workers, although some details are still unresolved.

Sen. Bob Stenehjem, R-Bismarck, the Senate majority leader, and his House counterpart, Rep. Al Carlson, R-Fargo, said Tuesday they have agreed on the amount and distribution of "equity" money that is part of a general pay package.

The deal means House and Senate negotiators can finish work on a number of state agency spending bills for which equity pay was the key sticking point. The 2009 Legislature's 70th day begins Wednesday, uncomfortably close to the state constitution's 80-day limit.

Both the House and Senate have voted to provide a general 5 percent pay increase for state workers this year and next. But the two chambers have been at odds on the separate equity issue.

In state agency budgets, equity pay is used to remedy salary differences for similar jobs. It's used to give bigger raises to some jobs that have high turnover rates or are difficult to fill.

Equity funds also are spent raising the salaries of some jobs that are judged to be well behind the pay of similar positions in private business.

Gov. John Hoeven's proposed budget set aside $24.4 million for equity pay increases, a recommendation the North Dakota Senate supported. Hoeven's spending bills gave almost all state agencies a share of the money for managers to use.

The North Dakota House removed the equity pay from agency budgets and proposed lowering the amount to $12 million. Carlson has supported a central "equity pool" and would give the state budget office responsibility for allocating it.

Stenehjem, in a meeting of Senate Republicans on Tuesday, said he and Carlson had agreed to support a $16 million central equity pool. Carlson, in an interview later, confirmed the deal.

"The equity should be in one spot, and it should have some very careful guidelines about how people can access it," Carlson said. "We're not against having it. We're not against putting some money in it. We just didn't like it spread into every budget."

The Senate and House, both of which are controlled by Republicans, still disagree about how much leeway to give state agencies in handling money saved when job openings are left unfilled for several months.

House Republicans want to bar agencies from using the savings without the approval of two separate boards, the state Emergency Commission and the Budget Section.

Sen. Rich Wardner, R-Dickinson, said Senate Republicans should insist on getting rid of the provision.

"We've given on (equity). It was compromised," Wardner said. "I think the other one, we need to stand tough on."

Sen. David Nething, R-Jamestown, wondered whether it would be a better strategy to settle all the state employee pay issues at once.

"This (equity) plan is fine. I just worry about these other deals," Nething told Stenehjem. "This is part of our leverage, and if we lose this leverage, on the other one, you might have a difficult problem."

Said Stenehjem: "We'll talk. I have a plan." Nething replied: "I trust you."