It took days of behind-the-scenes negotiations and a public blessing from the governor for the House Appropriations Committee to tap the Rainy Day Fund for $3.1 billion. That amount only covers the current fiscal year’s deficit. Now, the questions are whether the measure has 90 votes to move on to the Senate — and how much the process of getting there may damage an even bigger task for lawmakers: setting the next biennium’s budget.

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