Democratic leaders just told House members that the way to get the $190 million supplemental budget passed is to start from scratch.

Basically, the House is expected to come in at 2 p.m. to begin consideration of a new budget bill that is exactly like the Democratic majority budget. It will have one amendment, the one that restores some funding to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability.

Then, a separate bill with a hospital tax and match proposal will be introduced as a separate document. That bill raises money to offset some of the cuts to mental health services.

If it’s not part of the budget and gets bipartisan support, Gov. John Baldacci will “probably” sign it, said his spokesman David Farmer.

The plan is to get the Democratic version of the budget passed by midnight to avoid more serious cuts.

Senate tables budget
At 10:47 a.m., the Senate tabled the budget without discussion.

Word has it that a compromise is in the works, but details cannot be released yet. The House is breaking for partisan caucuses and will reconvene at 2 p.m.

All eyes on Senate

The Senate is scheduled to come in at 10 a.m., but whether they will take up the budget right away is uncertain.

Late Friday afternoon, the Senate abruptly adjourned because there wasn’t enough support to pass the $190 million supplemental budget. The pressure is on today because if they don’t pass something by midnight, a curtailment order will go into effect that cuts spending even more severely than either the Democratic or the Republican budgets.

Check back for updates throughout the day as things unfold.