With final deadlines looming, there’s intense lobbying behind the scenes as lawmakers attempt to find a plan for generating new revenue (read: “taxes”) that can draw enough support from both House and Senate to override a veto by Gov. Lingle.

A Senate plan to raise the general excise tax reportedly lacks a veto-proof majority in the House, and House tax proposals haven’t gained enough traction in the Senate.

Without enough support to deter or override an expected veto, the budget plan would put Lingle in the position of cutting an estimated additional $250 million, expected to come out of social services that have had strong legislative support.

According to one capitol insider:

…some people are thinking about calling for democratic legislators to reach super-majority agreement on revenue generating legislation to forestall Lingle from being allowed to make further large budget cuts….

There is also a proposal being circulated by a group of senators that proposes combining a temporary 1% GET increase with higher tax credits that would make the move less regressive and actually cut taxes for lower earning families.

The proposal would double the tax credits for child and dependent care expenses, food, low-income renters, and capital goods refunds, and double the standard deduction. These changes are projected to result in a 17% cut in overall state tax for an average family of four earning $60,000 in taxable income, while a family earning only $40,000 would find their taxes reduced by 73%.

The reluctance of legislators to approve a broad tax increase during an election year is balanced by their opposition to additional deep cuts in services.

If the Legislature is going to adjourn on time next week, the schedule calls for the budget and related tax bills to be decked in final form by midnight tomorrow.