House Democrats and Republicans temporarily set down their arms Friday as they attempted to nudge closer to an agreement to end a budget impasse now in its third year, even as both sides warned of major sticking points in the way of a resolution.

The day began with Republicans running an ad attacking House Speaker Michael Madigan and Democrats responding with a spot labeling Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner a bully, but the political broadsides soon gave way to talk of bipartisanship as lawmakers heaped praise upon one another on the House floor.

The cause of the comity? They came together on a test vote over a $36.5 billion spending plan, giving initial approval on a 90-25 roll call. If that vote eventually proves to not amount to much, it provided a change of tone following years of bickering that's left Illinois government teetering on the brink.

Lawmakers knocked off early Friday, poised to blow past a midnight deadline to get a plan in place before the start of the new budget year amid a threat from Wall Street that state government's credit rating could be cut to junk status, a distinction no other state has suffered.

After the vote, which was intended to gauge if there was a willingness for talks to move forward, Madigan announced that he would keep lawmakers in town Saturday while negotiations continued in private. He also sent letters to key New York ratings agencies to urge them against a promised downgrade of the state's credit rating "until we've had sufficient time" to strike a deal.

"I think it's a good step forward, a step that we can build upon," said Madigan, who cautioned "there's much work yet to be done."

With pressure building, the preliminary vote was a way for lawmakers to change the narrative, at least for a little while. Instead of the usual bickering focused on their repeated failures to reach an agreement, they sought to sow hope even as great uncertainty remains.

Without a budget, the junk status looms, making it more expensive to borrow to pay for things like building projects. Thousands of road builders could be laid off at the height of summer construction season. Universities may lose accreditation, forcing students to go out of state because they can't get federal financial aid to attend Illinois colleges.

Social service agencies face additional layoffs and program cuts, sending the ill to emergency rooms and ultimately driving up the cost of care. School districts may run out of money this fall, sparking a ripple effect in which some parents would opt to stay home to care for their children.

While legislators tried to remain positive, there's a difficult road ahead. They still have to give final approval of the spending plan, and companion legislation to raise taxes to make the budget balance. History shows that it's easier for lawmakers to vote to spend money than it is for them to increase taxes to pay for it.

Tax hikes have been at the crux of the two-year stalemate as Rauner and his Republicans have used the revenue issue to try to leverage the governor's economic agenda, including bills to freeze property taxes and make changes to workers' compensation.

The two sides disagree on those issues, but legislative leaders tried to cast the negotiations as progressing. House Republican leader Jim Durkin declared on the House floor that an agreement was "so close I can taste it."

Casting the day as a "make-or-break" moment, Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat and a key Madigan deputy, warned that allowing the impasse to continue into July would "engulf everything we wish to do here and stifle every important issue facing our state."

Adding to the state's troubles, a federal judge late Friday ruled that the state must start paying at least $293 million a month in Medicaid bills. Democratic Comptroller Susana Mendoza said the ruling would force her to delay payments on pensions, employee salaries or transfers to local governments. The judge also wants the state to pay down an additional $1 billion it owes to doctors and hospitals over the next year.

Under the House budget proposal, the state would spend $36.5 billion in the coming year, which is $2.5 billion less than has been going out the door automatically without a budget in place. Savings would be found from an across-the-board 5 percent spending cut to government agencies. For higher education, that cut is half of the 10 percent Rauner has pushed.

The plan would appropriate money for services that have been starved during the budget stalemate including immigrant assistance, funeral and burial services for the poor, and breast and cervical cancer screenings. It also would boost funding on K-12 education by $350 million and early childhood education by $50 million.

Despite a general divide among Republicans regarding the need to raise taxes, several GOP members praised it as necessary to begin correcting the damage done during the stalemate.

Echoing a theme of compromise, Rep. Steve Andersson, R-Geneva, said he wore his purple tie to demonstrate that despite the long fight, the parties can work together.

"I know the people are here to do the right thing, and I know we are going to do the right thing," Andersson said. "We are going to save our state, and we are going to save our state together."

Others decried the bill as upholding the "status quo," saying there were not enough changes in other areas to stop ballooning health care expenses or encourage businesses to stay in Illinois. Some took offense to suggestions by Democrats that they were being negative and mean-spirited for not embracing the budget plan.