Morrisey touts results of West Virginia legislative session
Chris DeWeese, an owner of Green’s Supply Depot, Monday speaks about the income tax cut adopted by the West Virginia Legislature, at a press conference with Gov. Patrick Morrisey. Green’s opened a store last year in Parkersburg where Morrisey announced he was asking the Legislature for a 10% reduction. (YouTube Screengrab)
CHARLESTON — The governor Monday was enthusiastic over the passage of parts of his legislative agenda while Democrats cited the failure of key issues because of Republican actions to kill Raylee’s Law on closing night of the Legislature Saturday. About 300 bills passed during the 60-day regular session were sent to Gov. Patrick Morrisey. Among key bills the governor wanted that were passed were the 5% income tax reduction and aligning state code with the federal Working Families Tax Cut, also called the Trump tax cuts, which will return $230 million to taxpayers, Morrisey said. Morrisey sought a 10% income tax reduction. “Let’s get to work on the next 5%,” Morrisey said at a noon press conference at the Capitol. The reduction will benefit workers and businesses, said Chris DeWeese, an owner of Green’s Supply Depot, which opened a store in Parkersburg last year and will soon open a store in Ripley. Morrisey announced he was seeking the 10% reduction at a press conference in January at Green’s Supply Depot in Parkersburg. “These tax cuts and what you’ve been able to do will really help us to continue to expand and our footprint will be over 600 employees because of things like you’re doing for our small business,” DeWeese said. Another $125 million for roads will allow the state to leverage more than $2 billion from federal and other sources for roads and bridges, Morrisey said. “So if you see a pothole, make sure to report it because we want to address it,” he said. The funds will allow the state to get a jump start on repairs, Chet Rodabaugh, chairman of the Asphalt Paving Association of West Virginia, said. “These dollars will be used across the state,” he said. Morrisey also cited the full funding of the HOPE Scholarship program, expansion of the Mountain State Digital Literacy Program and worker training programs for jobs requiring skilled trades, manufacturing and new industries. Other accomplishments were bills for flooding programs, water and sewer infrastructure, dilapidated properties and funding for medical education, eliminating around 30 outdated boards, commissions and councils to reduce redundancy and inefficiency and a 3% pay increase for state employees. A key initiative was the 50 by 50 energy strategy that was passed into state code, Morrisey said. The initiative requires the state to develop a long-term energy plan to expand energy generation through coal, natural gas, nuclear and other means in the state’s first energy security plan. “West Virginia is America’s energy state,” he said. Raylee’s Law would have set a 10-day wait on parents wanting to move their child from public to homeschooling if there is a child abuse or neglect investigation reported by the school that is pending. It was passed by the Senate Saturday morning, about 14 hours before the Legislature adjourned. The House did not take up Raylee’s Law until after 11:15 p.m. After amendments, it passed at 11:57 p.m., but by then the Senate had adjourned. “Any accomplishments that Gov. Morrisey or Republican leadership attempt to pat themselves on the back for will be completely overshadowed by the ugliness that erupted on the House floor at the 11th hour,” Mike Pushkin, chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party and a delegate from Kanawha County, said. The leadership in the House “slow rolled legislation” in an effort to kill Raylee’s Law, a bill intended to protect children from potential abuse and harm, he said. Republicans have a super majority in the Legislature. “That’s what was ultimately important to Republicans, protecting abusers,” Pushkin said. “Their priorities are horribly haywire.” The Republicans chose to protect child abusers over relief to the metallurgical coal industry, increasing the homestead exemption and funding public education and giving counties relief in providing services for special needs students, Pushkin said. “They have nothing to be proud of,” he said. “They should be ashamed of themselves.” The Democratic Party Monday also issued a press release in response to the governor’s press conference, citing Raylee’s Law has failed to pass for four consecutive years. “House leadership’s decision to sabotage Raylee’s Law and make protecting child abusers their No. 1 priority on the final day of session is the most disgusting action I’ve ever seen in the legislature,” said Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, a Raylee’s Law sponsor. “Every West Virginian should be furious, and they deserve to know the type of people running their government.” The Legislature failed to address rising costs facing West Virginians, Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha said. “The governor can try to spin this session as a success all he wants, but the fact is, it will be remembered as the session that made it easier for child abusers and harder for working families. We did nothing to lower rising utility costs,” she said. “In fact, at the eleventh hour, we passed a bill that will guarantee your utility rates go up. This legislative session was just more of the same pandering to industry at the expense of West Virginians.” Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com