POST Local

Gov. Bob McDonnell signed, without vetoes, changes to the state’s two-year budget that ends June 30.

Gov. Bob McDonnell (Tracy A. Woodward — The Washington Post)McDonnell (R) submitted 17 amendments to the state’s current budget. The General Assembly acted on them last week.

The budget will allocate $67.2 million to transportation, increase funding to local and regional jails to pay the costs of housing state prisoners, and restore cuts of $10 million for higher education.

It does not include a change that lawmakers said would withhold $150 million already approved for the authority overseeing construction of Metro’s multibillion-dollar planned extension to Dulles. That failed because of a wording error that would have withheld funding not just from the rail project, but also all of state government for the current fiscal year.

McDonnell said he will act on the next two-year budget, which was delayed for weeks, in the days ahead.

Abortion rights advocates planned to speak out against proposed permanent regulations for clinics Friday, when Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R)’s administration had been expected to release them.

The administration said that release of the proposed regulations, which would replace emergency rules that went into effect Dec. 31, has been pushed off until next week.

It is unclear how significantly the proposal will differ from the emergency regulations, which treat abortion clinics as ambulatory surgery centers and require that they meet hospital-type regulations. Some of the toughest in the nation, those rules include mandates on the size of exam rooms, the width of hallways and the number of parking spaces, as well as requirements for inspections, medical procedures and record-keeping.

Now the Virginia Board of Health is developing permanent rules, which will not be adopted until after the public has been given an opportunity to comment.

Abortion rights advocates planned to speak out Friday outside the Manchester Courthouse, following a hearing on charges from a March 3 protest on the steps of the Capitol.

More than 30 people had been arrested after refusing to vacate the Capitol steps to protest a bill that would have required most women seeking abortions to first undergo a vaginal ultrasound. They’ve dubbed themselves the “M3 arrestees,” a reference to the date of the arrests.

Four Virginia Republicans running for U.S. Senate will meet in Falls Church Friday evening for the third and final debate before the June 12 primary.

GOP candidate Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William), second from right, talks during the first of three debates, in April in Roanoake. Other GOP candidates participating in the debate are, from left, former Virginia senator and governor George Allen, Chesapeake minister E.W. Jackson, and tea party leader Jamie Radtke. The winner of the primary will face former governor Tim Kaine in November. (Stephanie Klein-Davis - Associated Press) The front-runner, former senator and governor George Allen, is likely to take the most heat from his three distant rivals: Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William), tea party activist Jamie Radtke and Chesapeake minister E.W. Jackson.

A recent Washington Post poll showed Allen getting 62 percent of the vote among likely GOP primary voters. Marshall was next with 12 percent, and Radtke and Jackson had 5 and 3 percent, respectively.

The winner of the primary will face former governor Timothy M. Kaine, who faces no opposition for the Democratic Senate nomination.

The race — for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. James Webb (D) — is expected to help determine the balance of power in the Senate.

Former legislator Paula Miller, a Democrat from Hampton Roads, said she is considering running for lieutenant governor next year.

Miller said she began thinking about it after supporters asked her to consider it, but that she won’t decide until she does some more research. “People have been pushing me for a while,’’ she said.

She said with women’s issues on the frontburner in Richmond, it would be beneficial for a woman to serve. Legislators need to stop talking about the “birth canal,’’ Miller said.

Miller began serving in the House of Delegates in 2005. She did not seek re-election last year after the Republican-led chamber redrew her Norfolk-area district.

The General Assembly left town last week without restoring funds for a pregnancy prevention program for teens. But Alexandria managed to scrape together enough money to replenish its coffers.

The City Council approved spending $65,000 on the initiative that offers sex education and birth control to teenagers.

Rob Krupicka (Katherine Frey - THE WASHINGTON POST)

“We’re seeing such great results,’’ said Alexandria City Councilman Rob Krupicka, who plans to run for the House next year. “The idea we would take a step back wasn’t acceptable.’’