the Republican-controlled General Assembly defied Gov. Timothy...

the Republican-controlled General Assembly defied Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) in voting overwhelmingly to expand the death penalty to include the murders of judges and witnesses in criminal cases.
By wide margins, the House of Delegates and Senate overrode Kaine's veto of legislation to make the killers of judges and witnesses eligible for the death penalty. The House also voted to override Kaine's veto of a bill that would make accomplices eligible for capital punishment, but the Senate agreed with the governor, meaning the bill will not become law.
A 2/3 vote of the House of Delegates and state Senate is required to reverse a governor's veto and put a law on the books. That's 67 votes in the 100-member House and 27 in the 40-seat Senate.
On the judges-and-witnesses legislation, the Senate voted 30-10.
But it fell 2 votes short - 25-14 - on expanding the so-called "triggerman rule" (to allow the execution of those convicted of directing others to kill ) thus sustaining the Kaine veto.
The House favored that measure 79-21. On two bills expanding the death penalty to killers of judges and witnesses, the House voted 82-18 and 83-16, respectively.