SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Despite a frenzy of closed-door negotiations, state lawmakers headed into overtime Thursday night with no agreement on electric rate relief for consumers and no sign of when a solution might come.

Top Democrats and Republicans huddled all day with the electric companies and Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s staff to negotiate the details of hundreds of millions of dollars in relief for soaring electric bills.

Key lawmakers had hoped the negotiations would produce an acceptable resolution Thursday, the day the General Assembly was scheduled to finish its spring session.

But without an agreement on rate relief or a new state budget, the House adjourned Thursday evening and made plans to continue working throughout June.

That means there won’t be any immediate resolution to the problem that has infuriated many consumers. Still, legislators say they aren’t giving up.

“There’s just a feeling around here that we’re not leaving until something gets done on that,” said Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion. “We’re just going to keep hammering this thing out.”

Lawmakers have been grappling for months over how to provide relief for consumers, who are seeing large rate increases after a 10-year rate freeze ended in January.

The push for a solution has escalated in recent days.

Downstate Democrats are vowing not to provide the votes needed to pass a Democrat-supported budget without an electric rate relief plan. Rep. Tom Holbrook, D-Belleville, even used a parliamentary move to block the Senate from considering the small-growth budget that the House approved late Wednesday.

With overtime now a reality, the outlook is unclear.

The utilities so far have offered a $500 million relief package, although some legislators indicated privately Thursday they thought that offer would increase greatly.

Many say it will take much more money for consumers before they drop the idea of rolling back rates to last year’s levels and freezing them for up to three years. They’ve used that pressure to try to force the utilities to sweeten their offer.

Consumer advocates say those talks are headed in the right direction.

“It always makes sense to see if you can reach some common ground,” said Dave Kolata, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board.

Both the House and Senate have rate freeze proposals in position if negotiations fall through.

Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, said Thursday night the Senate could send Gov. Rod Blagojevich a three-year freeze as early as Friday if talks aren’t productive.

“It came out of committee yesterday with the idea that they could put more out there on the table,” Halvorson said. “We’re waiting to see what that more is.”

Other lawmakers, however, remained skeptical that consumers will see a quick resolution. They fear passing the self-imposed May 31 deadline to wrap up session will mean the pressure is off lawmakers to act.

“It just seems to be hanging out there,” said House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego. “I think June just kind of puts off the inevitable.”