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Governor Justice seeks cap on special session pay

PARKERSBURG — A bill to cap lawmakers pay to five working days in any special session about the budget is being pushed by the governor of West Virginia.

Gov. Jim Justice cited the budget impasse from 2016 when the Legislature spent $35,000 a day in special session.

“Our lawmakers wasted $600,000 last year because they couldn’t come together to pass a budget on time,” said Justice.

“We’ve got to be more responsible than that. If it takes the Legislature umpteen weeks to pass a budget they won’t get paid beyond five days under my plan,” he said in a release. “The people of West Virginia expect action to fix the budget crisis, and the pay cap will ensure we aren’t wasting time and money to do the job we were all elected to do.”

Legislators are paid $150 per day for regular, extended or special sessions. Capping pay to five work days will cap the amount to $750 for each member of the House and Senate in a special session, he said.

A comment from House Speaker Tim Armstead and Senate President Mitch Carmichael was not immediately available.

The Democratic governor and the Republican-controlled House and Senate disagree over his Save Our State budget he proposed to address a projected half-billion-dollar shortage in the 2018 budget. Republicans generally are opposed to the tax increases and Justice broke a campaign promise he would balance the budget without increasing taxes.

Justice and secretaries in his cabinet are traveling around West Virginia to promote his budget. Veterans Assistance Secretary Dennis E. Davis was in Parkersburg on Thursday and Secretary Bill J. Crouch of the Department of Health and Human Resources at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday will be at the Wood County Senior Citizens Association, 914 Market St., to discuss cuts to the Aged and Disabled Waiver Program.

Historically, the Legislature works on the budget later in a three-day special session called for the budget following the regular session, Delegate John Kelly, R-Wood, said. However, work on the budget begins on the onset of the session with areas assigned for review by different groups of legislators, he said.

Decisions made during the session could impact the budget and require amendments if a spending plan is approved early, he said.

“That’s the short class on budget reconciliation,” Kelly said.

On Thursday, saying state finances “are such a dog’s mess,” Justice said he wanted a bill passed to give him authority to furlough employees by executive order. He cited the budget crisis and the downgrade of the state’s bond rating by Moody’s Investors Service.

Former Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in May last year asked for similar authority. The legislation was assigned to committee and no action on it was taken by the Legislature.

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