With time running out – the Illinois General Assembly is set to conclude the legislative session at the end of the month – the pressure is on to reach a budget compromise.

 

Republican State Sen. Bill Brady, once a candidate for governor himself, is taking a the lead role in brokering a deal.

 

"We have come a long way and we know where each other stand," Brady told NBC 5 on Sunday.

 

Brady has been meeting with Senate President John Cullerton, and while he said "we're not there yet; we are closer to a comprehensive plan that lays it all out," more lawmakers now believe a vote will be taken on the Senate’s so-called “Grand Bargain” before the May 31 deadline. After May 31, lawmakers would need a three-fifths majority to pass the bill, rather than a simple majority.

 

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