General Assembly heads for overtime as budget negotiations continue in Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. (WDBJ) - Budget negotiations continued Friday at the Virginia State Capitol, and it appeared the General Assembly session was heading toward overtime.

A final vote on the two-year spending plan is not expected before next week.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate worked on remaining legislation for several hours Friday.

When they adjourned for the day, just over 100 bills were still pending. And with the scheduled adjournment looming, lawmakers most important responsibility, the budget, was still unresolved.

“There’s a lot to be negotiated. It will be a record budget either way,” said Del. Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke).

“This is always the frantic time of year, where everything comes down to a crunch,” said Del. Wendell Walker (R-Lynchburg). “And certainly, for one thing you need to do as a legislator is have patience, because it’s hurry up and wait.”

Del. Terry Austin (R-Botetourt Co.) is one of those budget negotiators.

During a brief conversation Friday afternoon he said they were making progress, but he didn’t offer any predictions on when they might have a deal.

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