Senate: No plans to follow up on budget veto override this week

Instead, the chamber will keep its "laser focus" on an ongoing, court-ordered redistricting, Berger, R-Rockingham, said.

"We are on a very tight schedule as far as redistricting," he said late Wednesday afternoon. "I really don't have anything to say about the budget or a veto override."

Republicans need just one Democratic vote to complete the override in the Senate and make the $24 billion budget law. Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue said he's confident his side will hold together to block that.

Berger wouldn't get into whether the Senate will use the similar tactics as the House and wait to spring an override vote when enough Democrats are absent to swing numbers the majority party's way. Asked if every Democrat needs to make sure they attend session going forward to avoid that, Berger would say only "each member has a responsibility to their constituents."

"You know, we were all elected to represent our constituents," he said.

The Senate has a rule the House doesn't, though, requiring 24 hours notice to the minority party before an override is considered.

Sen. Don Davis, D-Pitt, the potential swing vote in the chamber, said late Wednesday afternoon that he'll stick with the governor on the budget, something he promised to do earlier in the session, before the House's successful override vote made a Senate vote more likely.

"I still plan to vote to sustain," Davis said.