(RALEIGH) -- Republican state lawmakers are planning to fast-track legislation that would extend unemployment benefits for roughly 37,000 North Carolinians. The measure also includes a stop-gap budget, in the event that lawmakers and Gov. Beverly Perdue cannot reach an agreement on a spending plan for the next fiscal year by July 1.

The so-called continuing resolution would limit state spending to 87 percent of the amount recommended by Perdue earlier this year. Senate President Phil Berger downplayed suggestions that GOP lawmakers were playing politics by using jobless benefits. "It's clearly not the ideal situation, but it's better than having to shutdown.  It's better than engaging in the kind of brinkmanship that we've seen in other places," said Berger.

Berger also said he’s not aware of anytime that state government had been shut down due to failure to pass a state budget on time.