Assembly Majority Leader Tom Nelson has sent notice that the Assembly will be on the floor tomorrow at 10 a.m. Speaker Mike Sheridan's spokeswoman Rebekah Sweeney said the Assembly will take up both SB 232 and the budget bill at that time.

The body has to take up SB 232 to shift $261 million in federal stimulus cash into school aid payments and then require the Department of Public Instruction to lapse the same amount in GPR into the general fund. The accounting maneuver allows the state to end the current fiscal year with a positive fund balance of $70 million.

The Senate approved the bill yesterday, and for it to work it needs to get through the Legislature.

Speculation has continued over whether Assembly Democrats have the 50 votes needed to pass the budget. Many budget watchers say they believe Dem leaders are close, though there are many controversial issues they have to work through today before it's a go.

The 10 a.m. notice could be an indication leadership is confident they'll have the votes, or it could be the Assembly will come in to pass the school funding bill, then the Dems could go back to caucus to continue to work toward 50 votes.

UPDATE: The Assembly Dems have passed three more amendments to the budget in caucus. The amendments were passed on voice vote or show of hands, Sweeney said.

The amendments include a 30 percent residency requirement for workers on MPS construction projects, alterations to the language on the Freight Rail Preservation program, and changes to allow access to the Disability Ombudsman program to participants in the DHS' IRIS program.

The amendments were proposed by Reps. Annette Polly Williams, Steve Hilgenberg and Peggy Krusick, respectively.

See the amendments here.

-- By Greg Bump