ST. PAUL — Minnesota officials are scrambling to line up funding for a proposed light-rail line to southwestern Minneapolis suburbs.

The state is on the hook for $144 million of the proposed $1.8 billion line between Minneapolis and Eden Prairie. But mass transit projects have divided the Legislature for years.

Lawmakers adjourned this year without approving a funding source. Months of special session talks surrounding the project and other priorities petered out earlier this month.

Gov. Mark Dayton and other local representatives presented a proposal Thursday that would use a mix of state, county and local money to fill the gap.

The move could pressure House Republicans who have called the project unnecessary. GOP. Rep. Tony Albright calls Thursday’s plan an “end run” on the Legislature.