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House, Senate

appoint group

to end impasse

By JEFF NELSON

AiCaa Ncwapapcn State Writer

RICHMOND—The Virginia House and Senate agreed to disagree on their respective versions of the state budget Feb. 24 and appointed three members of each house to settle the differences over the next week and a half.

The House version of the budget tacks another $110 million onto Gov. Wilder’s proposed $28 billion budget while the Senate added nearly twice that much.

House members praised the ease with which they were able to amend their money committee’s version of the budget on the House floor. Amendments to the budget have traditionally been handled nearly exclusively by the Appropriations Committee.

“This is the first time the House has been able to vote on block amendments to the budget since 1954. It certainly is a good start,” said freshman Del. William Mims (R-Loudoun/Fairfax).

The House used its new found freedom to slash the advertising budget of the state Lottery department by $21 million. The House also voted to cut senators’ salaries by $340 per year to match the delegates’ salaries of $17,640 per year. The money saved by the maneuvers is to be spent on education.

The House version is likely to be the winner in most of the budget disagreements because it killed a Senate proposal to increase the income tax on the wealthy. That move alone took away $106 million the Senate had added to its version of the budget.

Both houses are seeking 2 percent raises for state employees and plan to restore many of the cuts to state agencies included in Wilder’s original budget.

Among the agencies likely to get back some of the money cut in the original budget are:

• The Virginia Tech-operated Extension Service.

• The Virginia Commission for the Arts.

• The Center for Innovative Technology.

• Mental health and social services agencies.

See RICHMOND, p. 3