Phil Lopes, a Tucson Democrat, is the minority leader in the Arizona House.

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Opinion by Phil Lopes

Claims that a recent Republican budget bill will do anything to solve the state's budget shortfall are misleading. The Republicans' recent legislation has driven budget negotiations off track at a time when the talks were finally showing signs of progress.

There are no more negotiation meetings scheduled. Observers are left wondering when the Republicans are going to quit the political games and get down to the people's business.

House Democrats, like the general public, have many questions about this rushed-through measure. Instead of pushing through legislation that does not address the budget shortfall, the Legislature could have more productively used time last week by continuing the now-stalled bipartisan negotiations.

House Republicans used the partisan bill to either appease members of their own party who are rightfully upset that the majority has not resolved the shortfall or to create a reason to blame others for the lack of progress.

The 2008 legislative session is already halfway over. We are more than 50 days into a session that is supposed to last 100 days.

Democrats, along with the general public, are very concerned about the state deficit, which increases every day.

Some House Republicans have said they believe the state is in a "crisis" and that the shortfall should have been resolved months ago. This matter could have been dealt with early in the session. However, we fear that some of our colleagues across the aisle are unwilling to back up their rhetoric with serious action.

Their recent budget bill sends the negotiation process backward.

The House Democrats call on the Republican leadership to restart the bipartisan negotiations and come to the table with a willingness to promptly resolve this issue in the best interest of citizens. We must all be willing to compromise. The bottom line is each side is going to have to make sacrifices.

Arizonans demand a reasonable resolution. It is time to resolve the shortfall.