Yep, it's a late night here in Richmond

It is just after 10 p.m. and the Daily Press has filed its final story for the Thursday morning edition. Alas, things are still happening at this special session of the General Assembly devoted to transportation funding.

A scorecard:

The House of Delegates rejected legislation from Sen. Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax, that would have boosted the state sales tax by one-fourth percent and the motor vehicle sales tax by one-half percent. It would have also have imposed a 1 percent sales tax in Hampton Roads. Democrats stripped out a proposed gas tax increase to make the Saslaw bill more agreeable, but that didn't work.

The House also sparred over the transportation bill from Gov. Timothy M. Kaine -- yes, the same one that a House panel killed on June 26. The committee revived it on Wednesday and Republicans wanted to press a floor vote. Democrats were angry because they had already worked out a compromise on the Saslaw bill. It put the Dems in the embarrassing position of rejecting a bill from their own governor. Eventually, the Democrats simply refused to consider the bill and it never came up for a vote.

The House passed a bill from Del. Phil Hamilton, R-Newport News, that diverted 30 percent of tax revenue from future growth at Virginia's ports to highway improvements in Hampton Roads. It also diverted 30 percent of tax revenues from future growth at the two major airports in Northern Virginia to transportation projects in that congested region.

Got it? If you don't understand it, don't sweat it too much.

As I write this, the Hamilton bill may be losing its pulse. A Senate committee is considering it, and the Democratic majority there doesn't like diverting money from ports or airports to transportation improvements. That money would normally go to the general fund to pay for schools, health care and public safety.

Bottom line: They're still disagreeing, and despite the glimmer of hope on Hamilton's bill, it looks as if nothing will get done. Again.

It's 10:15 p.m. and we're still watching the committees.