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House Speaker Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden, said he had intended today to bring out a pair of bills for a vote that proponants argue will overhaul the state’s healthcare system – his healthcare pooling proposal and the SustiNet initiative.

But a few minutes ago Donovan told me it’s not happening. Maybe later this week, he said.

Donovan believes he has the votes but said some of the individuals who could best speak in favor of the bills during the debate were absent today.

Despite Donovan’s enthusiasm both bills face a possible veto from Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell because of their hefty price tags at a time when lawmakers are wrestling with a possible, $8.7 billion deficit.

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I’m a member of the MTV Generation and we need a sound track for pretty much everything.

So let’s put the ongoing budget stalemate in Hartford to music.

Begin in early February when Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell delivered the sobering news that the state deficit is on the rise and state government needs to seriously cut back and get back to basics.

Rell proposed a two year, no-tax-increase budget.

The legislature’s majority Democrats responded that the fiscal hole was deeper than Rell let on, and accused her of purposefully misleading the state on the size of the deficit so it would be the majority party that put tax increases on the table.

Over the course of the past several weeks, the two sides have, depending on the day, either accused one another of dragging their heals or said they were optimistic about the progress they’re making in closed-door budget talks.

In the middle of it all Rell reached a deal with state unions, who agreed to some concessions in return for two-years’ worth of job security.

So how’s it all going to end? Chances are at some point – probably not by the end of the regular session June 3 or possibly not even before the start of the new fiscal year July 1 – Rell and the Democrats will hammer out a deal and begrudingly praise each other for putting aside partisan politics for the good of the state.

See. It’s easy to make your own 2009 budget season soundtrack.

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Freshman Sen. L. Scott Frantz, R-Greenwich, was part of a bi-partisan group of lawmakers who today touted legislation they believe will improve operations at the state-owned Bradley International Airport and also better position the airport to help boost the surrounding area’s economy.

The bill creates a Bradley enterprise zone and related tax incentives to lure businesses to the neighboring towns of East Granby, Suffield, Windsor and Windsor Locks and also expands and strengthens the membership and powers of the airport’s board of directors.

Prior to being elected to the legislature last November Frantz was the board’s chairman.

Frantz told me today he is not a fan of a proposal floated by the General Assembly’s Republican Minority to use the sale of Bradley as a revenue source to help close the budget deficit. He said it is likely the state in this economy would not be able to get a good price for the facility. A good price is at least $2 billion, Frantz said.

But what if the economy was in better shape?

“It would depend on how desperate the state is. You’d get a much better price for it if you sell it when economic conditions are better,” Frantz said. “Is that on balance a good thing for people who use Bradley and taxpayers? You have to look at the individual proposals and see the terms and conditions.”

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An opinion piece in The Day newspaper over the weekend erroneously stated retired House Speaker James Amann, D-Milford, had dropped out of the race for Governor in 2010, causing the political rumor mill to churn for a bit.

Amann is currently the only Democrat to officially declare his pursuit of the party’s nomination and he moved quickly to correct the misinformation and declare his campaign alive and well.

“It was a little bit of a surprise,” Amann said Monday. “I was in Waterbury last week. Wethersfield. Rocky Hill. I had one of my best weeks ever. It’s been just a great response and our headquarters is kicking butt … We’re strong. Everything’s fine.”

The story reminded me of Abe Vigoda, the former “Godfather” and “Barney Miller” actor who for years has been dogged by rumors he passed away.

In fact Vigoda has made frequent appearances on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” Most recently O’Brien had a great bit capping Vigoda’s appearances on his show as the host prepares to take over for Jay Leno.

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According to the latest issue of TIME that arrived in the mail this weekend, Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, Vermont and Wisconsin are the five states with the lowest projected job growth for 2009 to 2019.

Apparently the pending arrival of Jerry Springer in Stamford and Howie Mandel and his “Deal or No Deal” models in Waterford wasn’t enough to give us that edge.

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Spoke briefly this afternoon with Christopher Healy, chairman of the state Republican Party, about the concessions Rell struck with the state’s 13 employee unions. They were given final approval today by the state Senate.

“I think given what the dynamics of the budget are and the lay of the political land the Governor got about the best deal she thought she could get,” Healy said.

Several people have contrasted Rell’s relationship with the unions to that of her predecessor, Republican John Rowland, who about seven years ago laid off around 2,800 workers in the winter of 2003 when the state’s fiscal crisis was not nearly as bad.

“She’s a compassionate person. She treats the unions with a lot of respect. I think they understand that,” Healy said. “In my fantasy do I wish we’d gotten more? Sure. But I’m not the Governor. She is. I’m a party chairman trying to put more people on the ballot to win.”

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I was speaking recently with Nancy DiNardo, chairwoman of the Connecticut Democratic Party, for a story about whether Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell is likely to seek re-election in 2010.

DiNardo obviously is highly critical of Rell and does not think she wants the job during such tough times when the economy is in the tank and the state is bleeding red ink.

But with her party’s “tax and spend” reputation and legislative Democrats pushing for income tax hikes on well-to-do households to balance the budget, perhaps DiNardo could have chosen her words more carefully.

“It’s TAXING times and it requires somebody to be there a lot,” DiNardo said.

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The state Senate just a few moments ago began the debate over the package of concessions reached between Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and the state unions.

The House of Representatives approved the package early this morning with only a few members voting “no.”

Some Republicans in the House complained about pieces of the deal but there were no real hard-hitting comments. Democrats generally praised the proposal and House Minority Leader Lawrence Cafero, R-Norwalk, had good things to say about both the Governor and state employees.

But a few minutes ago Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford, said what I’ve heard privately and publicly from some lawmakers since the concessions deal was reached one week ago. He said it is “bizarre” for Rell to, on the one hand, tell legislators they must make more cuts before considering tax hikes and on the other hand promise no permanent unionized state workers will be laid off until summer, 2011.

“For the life of me I don’t understand how you can say ‘no lay offs’ and at the same time tell the General Assembly we’ve got to do deep spending cuts,” Meyer said.

Meyer noted legislators like Sen. Gayle Slossberg, D-Milford, are trying to develop proposals for merging departments to cut the 2009-10 and 2010-11 deficits and Rell’s deal only complicates matters.

“The Governor’s put us in a box,” Meyer said.

But the administration and unions argue the combination of an early retirement plan with a hiring freeze with the ability to shift employees to other jobs within state government provides enough flexibility to restructure government.

And yesterday House Republicans and the administration began pitching a new case for the concessions. They said if Rell laid off 6,000 workers, it would result in $600 million worth of savings – $100 million less than that estimated under the deal with the unions.

On the other hand Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, just called the deal Rell struck “a strategic, humane and thoughtful approach.”

It’s bizarre when a Democrat is complaining about efforts to protect union employees and a Republican is arguing it’s the “humane” thing to do.

Although Kissel’s district is home to some state prisons and the state workers who run them. Maybe that has something to do with it.