HARRISBURG — The state House and Senate on Tuesday opened a long-anticipated debate over competing Republican bills to overhaul the regulation of natural gas drilling and impose a fee on drilling companies, as the Democratic minority complained that neither proposal goes far enough in tapping revenue from the lucrative industry.

By a 29-20 vote that mostly followed party lines, the Senate gave its final approval to a proposal sponsored by its ranking Republican, sending the measure on to the House, and adjourned at around 8:30 p.m. The House debated amendments until nearly 11 p.m. and was expected to resume the discussion today.

Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, an industry ally, said he was pleased to see the legislative debate getting under way.

The sweeping proposals affect environment protection, zoning and other hot-button issues, but the most fundamental difference between them is the level of the impact fee they would levy on Marcellus shale drilling.

The House bill, which closely parallels a proposal endorsed by Corbett, would allow counties to impose fees of as much as $160,000 per well over 10 years to help pay for the cost of regulating the industry and fix the damage that drilling causes.

The Senate bill, sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, would levy a state impact tax of at least $360,000 per well over 20 years that would generate tens of millions of dollars a year. The largest share would be earmarked for roads, sewer systems and public safety in communities affected by the drilling, and the rest would be divided among several statewide initiatives.