TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Opponents of new restrictions on unions in Kansas have blocked a debate by the state Senate on preventing labor organizations from financing their political activities with dues deducted from members' paychecks.

But to do it, a bipartisan coalition engineered passage of a bill on unemployment taxes that many senators see as seriously flawed, bypassing a version preferred by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and business leaders. The unemployment tax bill was on its way Tuesday to Brownback's desk.

House Republicans linked the two issues during talks with the Senate over the final version of the unemployment tax bill. House negotiators said the final version had to include the restrictions on union activities, or they'd walk away from the unemployment tax bill, though state officials view it as vital.