The House of Representatives is aiming to have a working plan to solve the $1.6 billion budget shortfall by the end of the week, said the chairman of that legislative chamber's budget committee.

"I would like to craft kind of a general budget to work on (for) next week's meeting – by Friday," said House Appropriations Chairman John Kavanagh.

Additionally, he said the goal is to have a budget package for the 2009 fiscal year ready for action by the entire body by Jan. 30.

Kavanagh, a Fountain Hills Republican, made the comments at the close of a committee meeting in which lawmakers were given updates on the state's revenues.

In addition to the fiscal 2009 deficit, Arizona is facing an estimated $3 billion shortfall for the fiscal year that begins in July. Once a fix for the current year is in place, lawmakers will turn their attention to crafting a budget for the upcoming year.

Last week, Kavanagh and his Senate counterpart, Sen. Russell Pearce, released a list of options lawmakers could use to bridge the budget gaps, which included a total of nearly $3 billion in state spending cuts. Delaying passage of a revised 2009 budget past Feb. 1 would give legislators fewer places to cut, they said.