RICHMOND, March 13 — The failure of the Virginia General Assembly to complete its work on time this year can be traced to the downturn in the economy, a bitterly partisan fall campaign and a surprising state Supreme Court decision. Budget negotiators said one of the reasons for the delay in the budget is that different parties controlled the chambers, and lawmakers spent hours debating their differing philosophies about government spending. The state’s 140 legislators came to Richmond in early January after a bitter, costly legislative election that gave the Democrats control of the Senate and more seats in the Republican-controlled House. Some committee chairmen struggled to send bills to the Senate floor, where votes on many controversial bills, including the budget, were 21 to 19, along partisan lines. Lawmakers from both chambers and both parties said it’s sometimes difficult to alter existing law in a state such as Virginia , where some changes are considered for years before being passed. read more