CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Senate and House Finance committees on Monday unveiled budget bills that significantly raid West Virginia’s Rainy Day emergency reserve funds to close a $270 million shortfall in the $4.1 billion general revenue budget.
The Senate plan would take $135 million from the Rainy Day A account — nearly one-third of the $422 million in the fund.
“I’m not so sure the ink will be dry before the governor vetoes it,” Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, said of the Senate budget bill (SB 1001).
The bill advanced from the Senate Finance Committee on Monday, with all nine Republicans in favor and all eight Democrats against.
Revenue Secretary Bob Kiss stopped short of saying Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin would veto a budget bill that relies so heavily on Rainy Day funds…
