Lawmakers working into the night seeking casino compromise

Representative Brian Dempsey, Democrat of Haverhill, the point person in the House, said he was "hopeful" a bill will emerge. "We believe given the number of jobs we're looking at this has to continue to remain a top priority for this session. So we will continue to work very, very hard to find some compromise that we can all be satisfied with."

"We are making substantial progress," he said. "We believe there's enough time. We're committed to working around the clock to have a bill for the members to consider and we believe we will do that."

With major bills stalled while lawmakers work on a gambling compromise, Patrick called on the Legislature to extend its work beyond Saturday, the official end of the session, if necessary, to complete its work.

"I'm calling on the Legislature to get the people's business done," he said. "The question isn't whether I get my priorities, but it's whether the people of the Commonwealth get their priorities."

Patrick said "there's an awful lot of very, very important business" pending in the Legislature, citing several bills, including legislation limiting health insurance costs for small businesses and reforming criminal records laws.

Patrick's plea was rejected out of hand by Murray, who offered a terse "no." She spoke briefly to reporters after leaving an hour-long afternoon meeting in DeLeo's office.

"We're working. We're trying to come to yes and a compromise, and we're going to keep at it until we can somehow get to yes," she said.

DeLeo also does not expect to continue the legislative session beyond July 31, according to his spokesman Seth Gitell.

Andrea Estes can be reached at estes@globe.com