×
X logo

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox.

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

You may opt-out anytime by clicking "unsubscribe" from the newsletter or from your account.

West Virginia House of Delegates Passes Its Own Budget Bill

Photo by Perry Bennett, W.Va. Legislature West Virginia Delegate Mark Zatezalo, R-Hancock, delivers a speech on the House floor Wednesday.

WHEELING — The West Virginia House of Delegates passed its version of a state budget Wednesday, striking provisions of a bill approved by the Senate one day earlier that made major cuts to higher education and Medicaid.

House members described their budget bill as similar to one already passed by the Legislature and vetoed by Gov. Jim Justice in April, but said they now have more money with which to work. The revised measure passed by the House includes $170 million in additional projected revenue announced by the Justice this week, and eliminates from the vetoed budget the use of $90 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

The House struck a $33 million cut to higher education funding from the Senate bill, replacing it with a cut of about $15 million. Money was moved around in the bill to preserve Medicaid funding, including taking $12 million from a Senate reserve fund.

But the moves by the House create a problem, according to Senate Majority Leader Ryan Ferns, R-Ohio.

Ferns spoke on the Senate floor Wednesday evening, telling members the revised budget estimates provided by Justice’s office are contingent on revenues and projected economic activity generated by two pieces of legislation not passed by the House.

Senate Bill 1003 would grant authority to the West Virginia Parkways Authority to issue revenue bonds to finance road projects, while Senate Bill 1006 would increase funding for the State Roads Fund.

“The issue for the House of Delegates is that it hasn’t passed these two pieces of legislation,” Ferns said. “They have accounted for revenue contingent on bills that haven’t passed.”

In addition, $52 million in the House-passed budget could be considered “one-time money” that could lead to instability in the budget, Ferns added.

The Senate adjourned until noon today to review the details of the House-passed budget more closely.

The budget bill passed by the House Wednesday sets spending at $4.225 billion for fiscal year 2018, an amount even with projected revenues. It passed with a vote of 69-30.

Among those voting in favor were Delegates Patrick McGeehan, R-Hancock; David Pethtel, D-Wetzel; Roger Romine, R-Tyler; Erikka Storch, R-Ohio; and Mark Zatezalo, R-Hancock. Opposed were Delegates Joe Canestraro and Mike Ferro, both D-Marshall; Phil Diserio, D-Brooke; and Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio.

Fluharty said the House budget “again uses fictional numbers.”

“It continues to cut higher education — which has been cut $131 million since 2008,” he said. “It does nothing to fix our fiscal problems, and we will be right back here next session doing the same thing. We had a bipartisan resolution in place until Senate Republican leadership failed to sign the committee report in direct violation of their oaths of office. The biggest story here is Senate Republican leadership refusing to sign the committee report. It screwed everything up and completely disrespects the legislative process.”

Ferns was one of three Republican senators on the conference committee charged with finding compromise on a tax reform bill. He and Sens. Ed Gaunch, R-Kanawha, and Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, all chose not to sign the conference report on Tuesday, and the committee expired before midnight.

McGeehan said the House budget bill is “far from perfect.”

“But it gets the job done,” he said. “Fortunately, tax rates were not increased. The projected revenue figures that are being used are likely not accurate — but those numbers are what the Legislature is required to work from.”

McGeehan said he is concerned the Legislature next will try to raise the gasoline tax in West Virginia.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today