PROVIDENCE -- House Speaker William J. Murphy says "you won't see a vote" from lawmakers blocking the Carcieri administration's plan to overall the state's Medicaid system.

That means the controversial five-year deal with the federal government will take effect Monday, a day after a self-imposed deadline the General Assembly had set to reject the plan or let it stand.

Moving forward, House Finance Chairman Steven M. Costantino has promised to draft a bill to introduce protections for those who fear eligibility changes to their Medicaid care.

Also on the Medicaid front, House and Senate leaders have scheduled briefings tomorrow for rank-and-file lawmakers who want to learn more about the administration's proposal.

House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox, who will run the chamber's session along with Costantino, said the briefing will offer a good overview of the plan for members who have questions or want more information.

Both the House and Senate Finance Committees have spent more a dozen hours in recent days combing through the proposal, but other legislators have professed knowing little about the plan that's captured headlines and dominated Smith Hill discourse.

The House briefing will take place tomorrow at 4 p.m. in the House Lounge with the full House session to follow. The Senate session will be located in the Senate Lounge at the rise of the Senate, expected to be around 4:30 p.m.

Looking ahead to next week, House lawmakers have cancelled next Tuesday's session in honor of Barack Obama's presidential inauguration, which several legislators will travel to Washington D.C. to attend, Fox announced this afternoon. A Senate spokesman said that chamber's leadership has not yet decided whether to cancel its Inauguration Day calendar.