Lawmakers hesitated to say anything was final in what has been a delicate deal-making process.

"I think we're just about there," said one key negotiator, Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago. "The bill language has been going back and forth."

The Illinois AFL-CIO did not return calls seeking comment on the proposal.

David Vite, president of Illinois Retail Merchants Association, said the agreement includes reforms that business groups have sought for three decades.

Workers' compensation is an employer-funded insurance system that covers employees for workplace injuries. Business groups say it costs them too much, particularly considering Illinois recently raised income taxes. Even after cutting fees, Illinois would still have the second-highest fees in the nation.

The plan also would strengthen reviews to ensure injured workers are receiving the appropriate level of care and would cap awards for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Under the bill, arbitrators who determine workers' comp awards would be stripped of their jobs but could reapply for three-year terms. They now serve six-year terms.

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said she would vote for the bill if it sticks to the current agreement. The Lemont Republican added the deal represents progress, although she would like it to go further, particularly on causation, the question of proving an injury is work-related.

"Now if causation needs to be part of the strengthening down the line … and this package doesn't get us there, then that gives us good reason to raise that issue again," Radogno said.