At the same time today, House and Senate negotiators continued to work on a compromise budget for the fiscal year 1988.

The vote was 56 to 42 in favor of a compromise budget worked out among Senate Democrats over the last week.

For decades, the leaders of the two houses and the Governor met privately to reach a compromise budget.

The political consensus is that the Republicans are ready to deal this year and will work out a compromise budget, which won't balance either.

The group eventually ended up supporting a compromise budget about $100,000 higher, which was then approved by voters.

The law died as part of a $22.3 billion compromise budget reached in a report by a legislative conference committee.

The measure, which the President was expected to sign, gives Congress time to patch together a compromise budget.

Saying they did not expect their job to be difficult, House and Senate negotiators today began to work on a compromise budget for 1988.

Until 1997, the Governor and the two legislative leaders met privately to reach a compromise budget.

When the Democrats unveil their compromise budget, expected this week, reductions to the program are a strong possibility.