Don't expect too much of Wednesday's resumption of a rump session of the General Assembly convened to draft a new two-year budget for the state.

Talks between Senate Democrats and Republicans who quarreled throughout the 60-day regular session that failed to yield a plan for funding Virginia government will resume Wednesday. But only a handful of legislators will be in Richmond for the pro-forma session.

Sen. Chuck Colgan, the Democratic linchpin who could single-handedly cut a budget deal with the Republicans, says talks among senior Democratic and Republican budget writers Tuesday were congenial.

Among the demands Democrats are pressing for advancing a budget are restored "cost-of-competing" salary supplement for non-teaching school staff in northern Virginia, funding for mandatory pre-abortion ultrasounds, and more money for Medicaid recipients in nursing homes.