TRENTON – After days of stagnation on the negotiating front, confidence is high in all corners following talks this afternoon that produced a visible endgame on Horizon and the 2018 State Budget.

InsiderNJ broke that story here.

Now, it appears that Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-32) wants to close on a budget vote sometime this evening. The goal is for a 9 p.m. vote tonight, but that may be optimistic. It’s more likely that members end up voting in the neighborhood of 10:30 p.m.

But tonight is the goal at the Statehouse at this moment.

Even as sources on the assembly side said the main negotiating entities appear close to hand shakes all around and the beginnings of a crumbling of the government shutdown, a source on the senate side was not ready to call the crisis resolved.

“I am optimistic, but it ain’t over,” the source said.

If Governor Chris Christie signs off quickly – a big if, one source said – voting could start as early 9 p.m. First will come the budget, the source told InsiderNJ, and then an emergency on the Horizon bill.

Both majority offices will meet shortly to examine the bill drafts. If and when they hammer out a final resolution with the governor’s office, a media availability will follow.