Virginia Republicans are running out of patience with Gov. Tim Kaine's administration for not providing an updated revenue forecast.

"What we are trying to figure out is how we are going to balance this budget," Delegate Clarke N. Hogan, Halifax Republican and House Appropriations member, said today on the House floor. "We got a deadline on Feb. 17 that we have to meet whether we want to or not."

On Feb. 17, the money committees responsible for budget bills must complete their work by midnight.

Yesterday, Republicans learned the governor will start providing updated revenue numbers by February 12, not soon enough for the GOP.

The forecast will influence how lawmakers close a shortfall estimated to be at least $641 million in the current budget that runs through June 30 and the governor's proposed biennium budget, which starts July 1.

"We've heard a lot of comments hear about bipartisanship," Hogan said, referring to comments made by Kaine and Democrats. "If you would like to work in a bipartisan way I suggest to you that you go to the third floor and ask the governor to do his job because we can't do ours until he does his."

House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith, Salem Republican, added: "We can not operate in the dark. So we say to the governor, 'Turn on the light.' "

"We want to finish by March 8," he told the chamber.

Yesterday Kaine told reporters that he will provide lawmakers a budget-balancing plan along with the new revenue forecast well before Feb. 17.

"We are going to get month end data and it is going to take us a couple days after the end of the month to check it out," Kaine said. "I'm not going to make adjustments in a hasty way."

The new two-year budget is one of the last chances Kaine will have to define his gubernatorial legacy.

It could be an uphill battle for Kaine, who is in the third year of his four year term.

He is expected to face some opposition to his plan to draw down the state's rainy day fund at least $241 million to close the gap in the current budget.

He also could have a tough time selling lawmakers on new programs he wants to include his two-year budget plan -- most notably his desire to expand Pre-K for four year olds from low income families.