The anti-abortion stance of the Virginia Senate's chief budget-writer threatened yesterday to derail a compromise on state spending.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles J. Colgan, D-Prince William, backed a Republican amendment denying more than $200,000 in state aid to Planned Parenthood. That move triggered parliamentary gymnastics that nearly killed the Senate's version of the state budget.

After nearly six hours, much of it spent in closed meetings of the Democratic and Republican caucuses, the Senate endorsed a $78 billion fiscal plan for 2008-10 -- but not without one last intrigue: Democrats overruled GOP Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling's assertion that a simple majority was insufficient for passage.

The budget was approved 22-18, with one Republican, Sen. John Watkins of Powhatan, siding with Democrats.

The maneuvering was a prelude to one of the remaining pieces of business facing the 2008 legislature: House-Senate budget negotiations.

The anti-abortion amendment, directed at Planned Parenthood by Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, was adopted when Bolling broke a 20-20 tie. He joined the 19 Republicans and Colgan to attach the spending ban into the Senate draft.

Because the House-written budget contains similar but broader language, it is possible the reconciled version sent to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will include restrictions that many Democrats predict he will remove by item veto.

Recycling a ruling from a debate on spending last week, Bolling declared that the budget had been defeated by the Senate -- despite the 22-18 margin -- because it failed to muster at least 32 votes. That was the constitutional minimum, he said, required for a plan that redirected the use of lottery funds from school construction to basic education aid.

Though Bolling eventually was reversed on a party-line vote, Colgan nonetheless pleaded with Senate Republicans to back the budget: "Excuse the language, but suck it in and vote for this bill."

The House had an easier time with its budget -- also $78 billion -- rejecting the Senate amendments to its budget bill by an 87-0 vote, with no debate.

Del. Lacey E. Putney, I-Bedford, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, stuck with his prediction that the differences could be worked out before the March 8 adjournment date.
Contact Jeff E. Schapiro at (804) 649-6814 or jschapiro@timesdispatch.com.

Contact Tyler Whitley at (804) 649-6780 or twhitley@timesdispatch.com.