
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 21, 1991                   TAG: 9102210406
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

BUDGET ACCORD REACHED/ RESERVE FUND STAYS; LEAVES ABOLISHED BY ASSOCIATED

Senior legislators announced a budget compromise early today that would keep a $200 million reserve fund and abolish mandatory unpaid leaves for all state workers.

The plan also proposes another Senate weakens, passes gun-check bill. B4. $104 million in state agency spending cuts, which could lead to some furloughs and more layoffs.

Six General Assembly members drafted the budget compromise in secret meetings throughout Wednesday evening.

The conference committee had resumed its work on plugging a $2.2 billion budget hole after Majority Leader Hunter Andrews, D-Hampton, the Senate's lead negotiator returned from a two-night hospital stay for chest pains.

The conferees had met face-to-face for less than two hours Tuesday night and failed to settle any major issues.

The panel of six senior Democratic legislators was unable to meet Tuesday's midnight deadline for reaching a budget compromise and the General Assembly changed its rules Wednesday, pushing the deadline back one day.

Sen. Dudley Emick, D-Fincastle, had replaced Andrews on the conference committee Tuesday.

Emick said his first "and possibly only" day of service on the conference committee was educational.

"To see the process from the inside will change your mind about a lot of things," Emick said. "It's not a pretty picture."

Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY

by CNB