• The Gaggle: Health care in Congress and school voucher expansion

    The Gaggle: Health care in Congress and school voucher expansion

  • The Gaggle: Is the filibuster busted and will Michele Reagan show us the money?

    The Gaggle: Is the filibuster busted and will Michele Reagan show us the money?

  • The Gaggle: Teacher raises, ACA repeal and ballot initiatives

    The Gaggle: Teacher raises, ACA repeal and ballot initiatives

  • The Gaggle: Federal budget and few women in the Legislature

    The Gaggle: Federal budget and few women in the Legislature

  • The Gaggle: Obamacare replacement, George W. in town and TANF benefits

    The Gaggle: Obamacare replacement, George W. in town and TANF benefits

  • The Gaggle: Tax that did not get cut, tweets from Gosar and a non-job

    The Gaggle: Tax that did not get cut, tweets from Gosar and a non-job

  • The Gaggle: SB 1142 is dead and town halls get rowdy

    The Gaggle: SB 1142 is dead and town halls get rowdy

  • The Gaggle: Bigfooted, McCain and HB 2404

    The Gaggle: Bigfooted, McCain and HB 2404

  • The Gaggle: How much debt is too much?

    The Gaggle: How much debt is too much?

Attention Capitol watchers: Tuesday is the heralded 100th day of the legislative session. Traditionally, that signals it’s time for the state Legislature to wrap up and get out of town by the time the end of the week rolls around.

And while chatter is increasing that maybe, just MAYBE, the Legislature will pop out a budget in the next several days, there likely is not enough time to finish everything and adjourn sine die (for “without a day”) by April 22.

House Speaker J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, and Senate President Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler, agree that their chambers are largely unified in what they want in the $9.6 billion budget for fiscal 2018. They have previously noted their budget assumptions don’t differ much from Gov. Doug Ducey’s.

With the fate of most of the legislative bills already decided, it suggests the final negotiations over the spending plan can’t be far away.  

If the Capitol’s annual sine-die pool is any indicator, May 4 is the favored date for adjournment. But April 21 is a close contender.

The folks pitching in $1 for a guess are an optimistic bunch about this Legislature. The farthest-out guess is June 9 — much earlier than the December dates usually picked by skeptics and cynics.

Republic reporter Ronald J. Hansen contributed to this article.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl.

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