With the end in sight, the General Assembly is settling in for a marathon day that will likely stretch long into the night before legislators head to the campaign trail. All 256 members of the House and Senate are up for re-election this year.
The Legislature has already tackled its main task approving next year's budget and will also try to hash out bills on criminal justice reform, the unemployment insurance trust fund and abortion.
While the 40-day session has waned into April in recent years, this year's session will end in a timely manner. The chief of staff for former House Speaker Tom Murphy said much of the credit should go to current House Speaker David Ralston of Blue Ridge.
"I thinking David Ralston is proving to be an exceptional speaker," said Anthony.
He said the fact that the budget was not controversial this year helped to move business along quickly.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/3/246970