photo by: Steven Allen Adams

House Minority Whip Shawn Fluharty, joined at the podium by the House Democratic caucus, accused the Republican legislative supermajority of focusing on divisive issues.

CHARLESTON – Democratic lawmakers in the West Virginia House of Delegates have had nearly two weeks to witness the public policy priorities of the Republican legislative majority and Gov. Patrick Morrisey, and the minority caucus is not impressed.

Members of the nine-member House Democratic caucus held a press conference Monday afternoon one floor down from the House Chamber.

The minority caucus rolled out their legislative agenda going forward, criticizing their GOP colleagues for focusing on social conservative bills, introducing controversial bills that distract from the process, and creating issues that could lead to a tight general revenue budget for the next fiscal year.

“A few sessions ago, we spoke about being the adults in the room. Here we are again,” said House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell. “West Virginia House Democrats, more than ever, are the adults in the room.”

Citing the recent flooding in a 13-county region in Southern West Virginia, Hornbuckle said House Democratic members have been raising money and organizing the collection of needed items to send south. Morrisey has requested a federal disaster declaration, though President Donald Trump has issued no declaration to date. Morrisey has also included no funding for the Flood Resiliency Trust Fund.

“We want to let you know we are committed to helping you out with flood relief, making sure there’s boots on the ground to help you piece back your lives, but also we want to make sure that we are taking preventative measures to make sure when the next flood happens that we’re able to mitigate that damage,” Hornbuckle said.

Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, said there are several bills the Democratic caucus has introduced to help bring down electric utility bills, which have increased nearly 100% over a 15-year period between 2005 and 2020. One bill would freeze utility rates for one year. Another would put in place an all-of-the-above energy policy, while another would reform the Public Service Commission to make its decisions based on the public good and not corporate interests.

“The third part of our plan is to reform the Public Service Commission, because this is not just in bad decisions made by the Legislature; it’s been decisions made by the unelected Public Service commissioners that have led to this increase in electric rates over the last decade.”

Hornbuckle said House Democrats are focused on bills to expand and lower the cost of child care in West Virginia, something that has been talked about by some in House Republican leadership but has never been taken up on the floor.

“A lot of folks, they’re struggling with child care trying to pick what they’re going to do, whether they’re going to go to work or stay at home with their kids. We’ve got to end that,” Hornbuckle said. “We know that for a while now parents, providers and businesses asked us to fix this. And again, we have a plan to address that.”

Morrisey presented lawmakers his bill on the first day of session on Feb. 12 for a balanced general revenue budget with a revenue estimate of $5.323 billion for fiscal year 2026 beginning in July, representing a 1.1% increase from the general revenue estimate for the current fiscal year of $5.264 billion, or an increase of $58.6 million.

This was a month after Morrisey revealed that he had inherited a $400 million hole in the fiscal year 2026 budget. Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia, placed part of the blame for the tight budget going forward on the several personal income tax cuts implemented since 2023.

“We’re giving out these small, meaningless tax breaks and we’re seeing important government systems that people depend on…being cynically tossed aside so that we can go campaign on a tax break,” Williams said. “Right now, where we find ourselves with this $400 million shortfall, this caucus remains committed to fighting against DOGE-like cuts that provide services to West Virginians.”

To help bring in additional tax collections for the general revenue budget and for Democratic priorities, the caucus is proposing the legalization of recreational cannabis, while allowing for county referendums to allow voters to decide to allow recreational cannabis in their counties. Part of the funding would be used for the Public Employees Insurance Agency to stabilize health care premiums for state public employees.

“What’s important about that is that would create a new revenue stream that could be in the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars,” Hansen said. “The bill specifically directs a portion of those revenues to help stabilize PEIA so that we can support our public employees and provide them with health insurance without a pay cut.”

House Minority Whip Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, accused the Republican supermajority of being focused on social conservative legislation, such as religious/philosophical exemptions for mandatory school-age vaccines or defining “male” and “female” in State Code.

“The Democratic caucus shares the concerns West Virginians have throughout the state; concerns about a West Virginia GOP supermajority which lacks seriousness and lacks a plan,” Fluharty said. “When you see these crazy social bills coming out…just simply ask the question when you’re sitting around the dining table, and you read about this…How is this helping my family? The chances are it is helping politicians get reelected.”

Hornbuckle also said the minority caucus will work on bills to provide help for federal workers in the state being laid off due to actions by the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), such as the 80 workers laid off at the Bureau of Fiscal Service in Parkersburg.

“We’re also going to stand up for the people in Parkersburg, and not just Parkersburg: the people across the state that have lost their jobs,” Hornbuckle said.