Ryan Ferns: W.Va. Senate Could Scrap Tax Reform
Leaders to give up if support not there by Monday
Trending
WHEELING -- Majority Leader Ryan Ferns says West Virginia Senate leadership will abandon plans to reform the state's tax code if lawmakers can't agree on a compromise plan by the end of Monday.
With the end of the 2017 fiscal year on June 30 approaching and West Virginia's 2018 budget still not in place, Senate leaders' focus would then shift toward Republicans' goal of reducing the size of government, according to Ferns, R-Ohio.
Ferns is chairing a House-Senate conference committee appointed Wednesday to iron out differences in disparate tax reform bills passed by each chamber. Conference committees are appointed for three days, but on Friday lawmakers cautiously voted to give them three more days -- until midnight Tuesday -- to report back the legislation.
Most of the lawmakers then headed home for the weekend, with committee members staying in Charleston to meet Friday afternoon with plans to convene again this morning. Lawmakers in both chambers expressed frustration that committee members thus far had made little progress.
A major stumbling block for the committee is the issue of reducing personal income tax rates over the coming years, and setting economic benchmarks to trigger periodic decreases in the rates as the state grapples with projected deficits.
"On Monday, we'll get a sense of what support there is and know if we're going to do tax reform at all," Ferns said. "(House Finance Committee Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha) and I agreed today to give everybody the weekend to think about it. If we can compromise on triggers -- and bring back legislation that will get support -- we'll know Monday. If we can't get it, we'll abandon all attempts at tax reform."
Time is ticking for the Legislature to set a 2018 budget, which must be completed by the end of the current fiscal year on June 30. If the Legislature fails to produce a budget this month, a state government shutdown would occur effective July 1.
Ferns said he isn't certain what will happen in the coming days.
"The least likely of all possible scenarios would be that government shuts down," he said.
In the Senate Friday, Minority Leader Roman Prezioso, D-Marion, took Ferns and the conference committee to task.
"Leadership seems to be concentrating on putting together triggers to lead us into next year's budget, and they're playing Russian roulette," he said. "How can we see (tax revenues) into the future to pull this together? Before you pull the trigger on tax reform, I hope there's not a bullet in the chamber that puts us over the cliff."
All 20 senators present voted in favor of giving the conference committee an additional three days to work out issues with tax reform, with 14 senators not present. Among those absent were Sens. Mike Maroney, R-Marshall, and Ryan Weld, R-Brooke.
House members debated for about 10 minutes Friday as to just what day the conference committee was appointed, and when its tenure was to expire.
Delegate Michael Folk, R-Berkeley, pressed the issue, and House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, initially told him he did not remember when the committee was appointed and first met.
"The days all run together," Armstead said, telling Folk the House clerk and parliamentarian told him the committee would end at midnight Saturday.
Folk was among House members who said the committee's tenure should not be renewed, and that the Legislature should focus on staying in Charleston and passing a budget. Also expressing opposition to the focus on tax reform were Democrats Isaac Sponaugle of Pendleton County, and Andrew Robinson of Kanawha County.
Delegate Frank Deem, R-Wood, said those voting against the conference committee were doing so because "they have voted against everything all the way."
House Minority Leader Tim Miley, D-Harrison, and Delegate Andrew Byrd, D-Kanawha, urged House members "to give the committee respect" -- and one more chance to work on the bill.
The House voted 57-24 to extend the conference committee's tenure, with 19 members not present.
Among those voting in favor were delegates Phil Diserio, D-Brooke; Erikka Storch, R-Ohio; Joe Canestraro and Mike Ferro, both D-Marshall; David Pethtel, D-Wetzel; and Roger Romine, R-Tyler. Voting against were Patrick McGeehan, R-Hancock; and Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio.
"It's a joke that the Legislature wants to go home for the weekend instead of doing our job when we're up against a government shutdown," Fluharty said.
McGeehan said he also believed lawmakers should stay in Charleston until a budget agreement is achieved.
"I just didn't think it was proper to vote to go home for the weekend," he said. "There's a duty we have to pass a balanced budget. I don't think we should leave until it's done."
Friday was the 13th day of the special session for the House since May 4, and the 12th day for the Senate.