Richmond:   We are in the "home stretch" now for this year's General Assembly session with only one more full week left.  This Wednesday the House was in session until 7:00 PM because it was mandated by state law that all revenue bills must be acted upon by midnight March 3rd.

So much of the work this Session on crafting our biennial budget comes to a head this week and next as both Chambers work at developing a consensus between the House and Senate versions of the Commonwealth's two- year spending plan.  This process involves six Senators and six Delegates who have been appointed budget conferees.  Their job is to consolidate two versions of the budget into one version.  That final product is the one that I will have to vote on.

First, the two groups must agree on revenue projections upon which the budget is developed.  Once that number is arrived at, then the "art of compromise towards a common goal" is applied regarding the state's spending priorities.  The target date to complete this work is by midnight, Tuesday, March 9th.  I feel fairly sure that a compromise will be reached by that deadline, but given the magnitude of the budget situation, we never know. Hopefully, the final cuts to education, Medicaid, and the Arts won't be as bad as originally introduced.  I constantly remind our budget conferees the importance of these areas to our rural part of the State.  Our final "Sine Die" adjournment is scheduled for Saturday, March 13th .

A lot of debate this week stemmed from Governor Bob McDonnell's proposal to make charter schools easier to open in Virginia.  This bill would give local school boards final approval for a charter school's application.  The bill has passed the House and is in the Senate.

A bill that should make fishing enthusiasts happy is SB 289, which establishes a lifetime fishing and hunting license for residents and nonresidents who are younger than two years of age. The cost for infant lifetime licenses for hunting and fishing is $125 each for residents and $250 each for nonresidents. The original license remains valid even if the licensee changes his place of residency.

During the final week or two of session, visitation usually slows down quite a bit.  We only had one visit from the district this week, Phoebe GurChiang, a registered dietician from Farmville.  My door is always open and I encourage you to drop by whenever in Richmond,

Next week will be my last week in Richmond, barring unforeseen circumstances.  I can be reached by calling 804/698-1060 or by email at deljedmunds@house.virginia.gov.  Any legislation can be tracked by accessing http://legis.virginia.gov.  Please contact me at any time.