The General Assembly has passed its $77 billion state government spending plan for the next two years and then adjourned five days late. Fixing last year's flawed highway funding law, however, will have to wait.

The House passed the budget unanimously without debate Thursday night, but a divided Senate approved the two bills that direct state spending on votes of 26-14.

In the Senate, Republicans delayed the vote for more than an hour, contending that it assumes unrealistically optimistic revenue growth in troubled economic times.

The budget contains cuts both to state operations and state support for local government, particularly law enforcement. It also assumes a six percent increase in personal income tax collections, and optimistic proceeds from the state lottery.

It sets aside more than $1 million for updating basic academic standards for public schools. There are two pay raises of two percent each for state employees, state college faculty and state-augmented local government employees, and one pay raise for teachers.