The Budget for 2010-2012 will be debated today on the Senate floor.  I gave a summary earlier this week.  Suffice to say that the Senate, like the House, is cutting back expenditures and temporarily reducing its contribution to VRS.  There is no general tax increase.  

In contrast to the House, the Senate makes a stronger commitment to public education, especially in northern VA (we retain the "cost to compete" funding which goes to high-cost jurisdictions).  It also contains some fee increases missing from the House budget.

We'll be here most the day on this debate.  The House will likely be in longer. 

(update at 2:45 pm)

Clerk just finished reading about 200+ budget amendments in all sectors of the budget.  Just rejected one amendment which reversed the "DRE ban."  (what's that doing here?)  Now dealing with payments to VA Beach to purchase land around Oceana AB.  Thirty million?

(update at 3 pm)

Just added back in $2M for planning district commissions, which makes sense since they prepare grant proposals for smaller localities that can't do these on their own. 

(update at 3:10 pm)

Budget just passed on vote of 30-10.  No speeches against the Budget by the dissenters who are all Republicans.  Perhaps they were disappointed that we didn't propose a tax increase?


Senate adjourns ....