House Speaker Greg Stumbo says his chamber's priorities for the next two-year budget are not that different from the Senate's.
Both chambers have passed their own budget bills for each branch of state government. The two sides must now work out a compromise. Stumbo says he doesn't have many concerns with the Senate's changes and he expects a conference committee to hatch a compromise quickly.
"We may have approached it a different manner but at least we're addressing the issues and if that's the case we ought to be able to come to some middle ground to formulate a budget," he says.
Senate President David Williams wanted to start the conference committee today, but Stumbo expects the committee to meet Monday and get a compromise to the chambers by Thursday.
"Staff will be working with them through the weekend, staff will be working with the governor's office, and staff will be communicating as they review the budget. We didn't get the Senate document until late last night, we actually haven't gotten it officially here yet," Stumbo says.