RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A surprise amendment by Senate Republicans that would overhaul all 40 state Senate districts returns to the House of Delegates on Wednesday, where the bitterly disputed measure faces a critical test.
House Bill 259 is on the daily legislative calendar for the House and awaiting action by House Speaker Bill Howell.
House Democrats and at least one Republican - Del. Bob Marshall - say they'll ask Howell to rule the radically overhauled bill not germane to its original intent. Before it was amended on the Senate floor, it made only limited technical adjustments to district boundaries.
The partisan strife the Senate GOP tactic spawned threatens to derail the 2013 General Assembly session and wreck Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell's last bid for a legislative legacy.
