More time waiting than debating?

I spent a good part of Monday’s special session coverage bouncing back and forth between the State House press room and the Lowe House (of Delegates) Office Building. The reason? Things just keep getting pushed back. An appropriations meeting that was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. began at nearly 4, as delegates tried to hammer out the finer points of hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts under consideration.

Now, the General Assembly is trying to pass a package of tax changes, cuts, and new programs that could fill an ordinary 90-day session, so I don’t mind that they’re taking awhile. They have a responsibility to be deliberate, and they are moving forward every day, but do you think they’ll be done by Thanksgiving? Is that a reasonable goal?

-ANDY ROSEN, Business Writer