The House Finance Committee has approved a budget for the consideration of the full chamber.
The committee recommended House Bill 4027, its own version of the state budget, to the full House of Delegates Thursday. The bill maintains Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s proposed general revenue budget of close to $5.5 billion.
The presentation of the committee substitute of the bill highlighted:
- retains the governor’s proposed 3% pay raise for public employees
- 3% increase to the employer share of PEIA
- ¾ year of Hope Scholarship funding
- Higher education funding formula is provided for
- creation of a new Rural Health Transformation Program fund from federal appropriations
Kelly Allen, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, was the lone member of the public to comment on the bill.
She expected to speak on a structural gap she had seen in the governor’s and Senate’s budgets where its size didn’t fit into the general revenue. However, after hearing the presentation of the committee substitute of the bill, Allen commended the House Finance committee for budgeting responsibly within the state’s revenues.
“I would applaud you all for really taking seriously the importance of addressing that structural gap and making sure that we’re setting ourselves up for good, solid budgeting in the future where we’re not using one time monies that are dwindling as the surpluses get smaller each year to pay for ongoing base budget needs” she said.
Allen said she was happy to see Morrisey continue publishing the governor’s six year plan after reinstating it last year, but noted it reflected deficits in the coming years.
“I think, $200 million next year, and a growing amount in upcoming years,” she said. “And an easy way not to have that $200 million deficit is not to do the 5% tax cut, which saves you about $125 million of those.”
The Senate received its own budget bill – Senate Bill 250 – from its Finance Committee Wednesday and could approve the bill as soon as Friday. The sides will ultimately reach a budget compromise to send to the governor. The state budget is the only bill the legislature is constitutionally required to pass.
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