One week before the deadline set forth by the Arizona constitution, Arizona House Speaker Jim Weiers (R-Phoenix) announced that Republicans will be sending a budget package to committee on Wednesday. The announcement comes after months of wrangling between Democrats, led by Gov. Janet Napolitano, and the Republican-controlled Legislature over what adjustments would be needed to plug the nearly $2 billion gap the state government faces in the coming fiscal year.

The proposal includes over $500 million in lump sum state agency reductions and $500 million for new schools to be procured through bonding. The remaining $1 billion or so would be made up through delaying some building repairs and shifting funds from elsewhere into the general fund.

Weiers said the budget proposal represents "exactly what the state of Arizona is looking for," saying the plan works without burdening "future generations" of Arizonans.

Arizona House Majority Leader Tom Boone (R-Peoria) stressed that there are "no cuts to classrooms at all in the proposed budget," though he indicated that the construction of new schools is a separate issue. Though the final language is yet to be hammered out, money for new schools will be raised through bonding, which has been a stipulation of the governor's since negotiations commenced.

"We took a long time" getting the budget together, said Boone. "But we hope the citizens of Arizona would like us to take the time."

Weiers took a different tack, saying, "I'm not proud we're putting out something this late," but added, "There hasn't been a day that's gone by when we haven't been working on the budget." Although the budget, which will take the form of six or seven separate bills, hasn't been fully drafted yet, Weiers said he expects it to go to the Rules Committee on Wednesday. However, he sounded a note of caution.

"I'm not 100 percent [certain] we've got 31 votes," Weiers said in response to a question regarding the bills' chances of passage. "We simply have to press this out to the bodies; we have to make the case this works."

Weiers did say definitively, though, that no matter what, there would be no shutdown of the Arizona state government.

"Shutdowns are not an option," said Weiers. "Shutdowns indicate failure, and failure is not an option."

House Republican leadership is hoping the bills can clear committee and come to the floor on the same day, meaning it's possible the House will be voting on a budget by midweek.