Virginia Politics: Rosalind Helderman

Virginia Attorney Gen. Ken Cuccinelli (R) says an 8 to 1 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday ruling that the first amendment protects speech by a fringe church that targets military funerals "vindicated" his decision to stay out of the case.

Virginia Attorney Gen. Ken Cuccinelli (R) will face no legislative requirement that he keep track of his staff's time.

State legislators expect to return to the Capitol late Sunday to vote on revisions to Virginia's two-year budget. House and Senate negotiators continued meeting late Saturday, but differences on public safety, higher education and social services spending still remained. They were hopeful they could complete work on a compromise by midnight. Legislative staffers would then work throughout the night and morning to review and print the budget before they land on lawmakers' desks early Sunday afternoon. Legislators would likely vote on the budget about 5 p.m. The 46-day session was scheduled to end Saturday. It will be the sixth session extension in a decade. An extra day of session usually costs $20,000 for each additional day the legislature meets, but the House voted to reject its per diem. House Majority Leader Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) said budget negotiators had made "pretty good progress" and were 80 percent done with amendments...

A House committee voted Tuesday evening to pass by indefinitely a proposal to retain the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy for gay service members in the Virginia National Guard, effectively killing the highly controversial and high-profile proposal.