HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Democratic and Republican legislative leaders are setting a new, self-imposed deadline for announcing whether they're on the verge of reaching a tentative, bipartisan state budget agreement.

The closed-door negotiations aren't expected to cease if a deal isn't announced on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. However, the lawmakers said Tuesday they see it as a key moment in what has become a long, drawn-out battle. Connecticut has been without a new two-year budget since July 1.

Democratic House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz says the legislators "hope to come out and make some kind of more detailed analysis of where we're at, what we've agreed to and what the plan is moving forward."

Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano says the leaders still need to resolve ten, politically delicate issues.