Manassas Park Senator: Budget Talks Coming Along Well

State budget talks among Republicans and Democrats are coming along a lot better than they were a month ago, but it still isn’t clear if lawmakers will come up with a two-year budget before the Easter break, according to Washington Examiner reports.

 Lawmakers returned to the negotiating table this week after taking a weekend off from discussing the elements of the $85 billion, two-year budget for the state. The budget was supposed to be completed last month, but that didn’t happen because of disputes among senators over power.

Now, the climate seems to be a lot better, according to Manassas Park Sen. Charles “Chuck” Colgan.

 “It's going very well. The attitude has changed. We're coming together. I haven't seen any bitterness at all since we started negotiating last week,” Colgan told the Washington Examiner on Monday.

 The house version differs a great deal from the senate version, which was approved during a special session, mainly in the areas of transportation and education funding, according to the Examiner.

 A deal that includes some $40 million for Northern Virginia Schools to hire non-teachers over the next two years may be on the horizon, according to Colgan.

 Lawmakers also plan to discuss transportation, including the much talked about Dulles Rail Project.

The Senate version of the plan includes $300 million for the rail project.