Virginia House passes budget with no Democratic support

Virginia House passes budget with no Democratic support: "The House passed its version of the budget along party lines, 61-38, on Thursday. For the first time in years, Democrats voted en masse against it instead of their normal practice of debating and opposing individual amendments. The chamber's top two Democratic leaders -- Dels. Ward Armstrong and Ken Plum -- said they consider the budget so flawed that they had no choice but to take the drastic step of encouraging their caucus to vote against the entire budget. Armstrong, the House minority leader, said he would rather 'resign my seat than vote for this budget.' He was greeted with a standing ovation from Democrats. Democrats complained that the House budget slashed funding for education, the Virginia Commission for the Arts and health and human resources. Hundreds of state employees would face layoffs, and those who kept their jobs would see their pay frozen for the next two years. 'It