Lawmakers are returning to Richmond Wednesday for a spring session of the General Assembly.
One thing that nobody expects to happen this week is a vote on an amended budget. When members of the General Assembly left town back in February, they did not have an agreement on the budget, and they still don't. But they'll be meeting on Wednesday to consider amendments and vetoes suggested by the governor.
Former House Democratic Leader David Toscano says he’ll be on the lookout for amendments about CBD products and changes to the Clean Economy Act.
"I think you will see a greater amount of discussion about the amendments than the vetoes," Toscano says. "And I think part of that has to do with the budget."
Former Republican Delegate David Ramadan is now at George Mason University’s Schar School, and he says members of the General Assembly will spend the day trading concessions.
“And this will be a long day with a lot of dead time where members are waiting back and forth between the House and the Senate and trying to negotiate and horse trade on some of the big issues," Ramadan explains.
If Senate Democrats reject some of the amendments from the Republican governor, he's got a choice: sign the version that landed on his desk or forget about it and move on. As for the budget, negotiations are expected to drag on into June.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
