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Legislators take aim at longterm funding for PEIA as Senate president hopes teacher walkout ends

By ANDREA LANNOM

The Register-Herald

Delegate Tim Miley, D-Harrison, speaks about House Bill 4625 relating to allocating a portion of any general revenue surplus to the PEIA financial stability fund during a House floor session at the Capitol.
(Register-Herald photo by Rick Barbero)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As teachers and school personnel poured into the Capitol as part of a two-day statewide walkout voicing concerns about pay and the Public Employees Insurance Agency, legislative leadership said they are working to find longterm funding solutions.

A bill to dedicate 20 percent of any surplus to the PEIA Stability Fund passed unanimously in the House. This has been one of a few measures passed recently to find revenue for PEIA.

The House also passed a bill to dedicate $29 million from the Rainy Day Fund to the PEIA Stability Fund to freeze the plan—a measure that hasn’t drawn much support on the Senate side.

“We appreciate our colleagues in the House’s perspective, but our intent is on ensuring long-term viability for the program,” Senate President Mitch Carmichael said in a previous interview. “We don’t like the concept of taking Rainy Day Fund one-time money to correct a long-term structural issue.”

Senate Majority Leader Ryan Ferns, R-Ohio, said the Senate would rather see money come from another source.

Read the entire article: http://www.register-herald.com/news/legislators-take-aim-at-longterm-funding-for-peia-senate-president/article_1d9f014b-15e2-5e24-9407-b6874c4ed5c8.html

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