General Assembly negotiations continue

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Governor Mitch Daniels got personally involved in the negotiations over jobs bills in the General Assembly today conducting meetings in his office that went late into the afternoon.

That was when state Senate Republican Leader David Long (R-Fort Wayne) walked out of the governor's office and said lawmakers are "this close" to an agreement (holding his fingers a couple of inches apart) that would end the 2010 Session of the General Assembly.

The governor met first this afternoon with Democratic House Speaker Pat Bauer (D-South Bend), a meeting that Bauer requested, to discuss concerns over a jobs bill, school funding issues, and what to do with the state's bankrupt unemployment insurance system.

Bauer came out after about 40 minutes and called it a positive meeting. "So I think we're gonna go and see if we can't get some progress on these things and I think we might be able to," Bauer told reporters.

"We're ready to sit down and finish the job if they will talk," said Sen. Long. "We had a meeting set up this morning and it was canceled."

24 Hour News 8's Jim Shella asked Sen. Long if lawmakers need the governor involved at this point. He replied, "I don't think so." Speaker Bauer responded to the same question by saying, "It appears I did, yes I did... right now I need to get him to help."

As Bauer and the others returned to the legislature the governor's office was silent on the day's developments.

Sunday is still the final deadline here and it may take a deadline to bring about an agreement.