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By Pat Kane
Special to the Rappahannock News
RICHMOND — For the second time in three years, the General Assembly failed to wrap up the state budget before the end of the scheduled session.
As a result, Gov. Tim Kaine on Saturday callt^l for a special session to start in two weeks, during which legislators will again try to resolve differences over the budget and transportation.
While 94 senators and delegates will head home until March 27, six conferees — three from each chamber — will stay to work on the budget.
The impasse stems from differences over funding amounts and sources for, fixing transportation. Kaine and the Senate back a plan to spend about $1 billion a year with new dedicated taxes. Republicans in the House of Delegates, who plan to spend about $500 million, want to leverage the budget surplus and create new fees instead of taxes.
Kaine said the House Republicans need to start negotiations looking at what they must do, not what they won’t do - raise taxes.
Delegate Morgan Griffith, R-Roanoke, chairman of the House Republican Caucus, said there is “an immovable rock on the other side.”
Delegate Adam Ebbin, DArlington, said that four out of five groups — all but the House Republicans — agree that $1 billion and new taxes are needed.
“Everyone agrees we have a transportation crisis, but not everyone agrees on a responsible solution,” Ebbin said. He said the House Republicans
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