Deal or no deal? Conflicting claims fly as state budget bickering persists

In a sign of just how dysfunctional the state Legislature has become, lawmakers Wednesday argued about whether they had completed a budget deal — or not.

The bizarre episode started shortly after noon when Sen. Joe Fain, R-Auburn, tweeted from inside the Republican-led caucus in the Senate that “we have reached the framework for a budget deal.”

Next came an email to reporters that the Senate majority had reached agreement with House Democrats.