By PHIL KABLER, HD Media
CHARLESTON — After more than four hours of debate — including the rejection of more than a dozen amendments to increase spending for various programs — the West Virginia House of Delegates passed its version of the budget bill on a 95-5 vote Wednesday, setting up a showdown with the Senate over spending priorities.
That includes the House’s key commitment to increase spending for the state’s foster care system by $16.8 million — a proposal that is being gutted in the Senate — while the Senate is pushing for $7.7 million in funding for a new intermediate appeals court and $2.8 million for judicial pay raises, funding excluded from the version of the budget passed by the House on Wednesday.
House Finance Chairman Eric Householder, R-Berkeley, said the House is committed to spend the remaining three days of the 2020 regular session defending its budget priorities.
“The members of this body have spoken loud and clear that our No. 1 priority is to eliminate the foster care crisis,” he said.
The House and Senate will have to resolve a number of differences in the House’s $4.579 billion general revenue budget and the Senate’s more austere $4.558 billion budget. Both budgets will require cuts from the current 2019-20 state spending plan, which totals $4.693 billion. …
