RICHMOND, Va. — The session is over, but is not quite "mission accomplished" for the Virginia General Assembly.
Lawmakers adjourned over the weekend, without completing their most important task.
After sixty days, and more than 3,000 bills, legislators called it quits without finalizing the proposed the $158 billion, two-year state budget.
They did pas a bill making mask-wearing optional in schools. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin already signed that one.
But, there was much they did not do.
They didn't finish a bill that would eliminate the grocery tax -- a sticking point being how big to make that cut.
They did not pass legislation that would have banned the teaching of "inherently divisive concepts" in public schools.
They did not pass bills that would have mostly banned abortion after 20 weeks.
They did not legalize sales of recreational marijuana.
They didn't pass constitutional amendments to restore voting rights for felons or to repeal the state's defunct ban on same-sex marriages.
Other measure that failed included a bill to restore the photo ID requirement for voting; a ban on ballot box drop-offs; shortening the window for early voting; and allowing police officers to stop cars for safety violations.
"What we're seeing play out in the General Assembly this year is the very example of what a legislative body is supposed to do," said Christopher Newport University political science professor, Quentin Kidd. "Both chambers are supposed to check each other. The legislative branch is supposed to check the executive branch."
Kidd says, warts and all, this is what democracy looks like.
"At the end of the day, instead of being critical of one side or the other in saying, 'Well, this didn't get passed, that didn't passed, so, they're a failure,' what we could do is look at the legislative process and say, 'It's working.'"
As far as the uncompleted budget, House and Senate negotiators are still trying to compromise.
Once they have a deal, Youngkin will call lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session.
He offered a hopeful message upon the General Assembly's adjournment.
In a statement, he said: "I'm encouraged with the recent progress on the budget and I'm grateful to the members on both sides of the aisle for their efforts."