By Steven Allen Adams for The Intelligencer
CHARLESTON — The West Virginia House of Delegates took up a compromise with the Senate on the state budget, but not before debating the rising costs of the state’s educational voucher program, which are expected to double.
The Senate amended its version of the general revenue budget for fiscal year 2026 into House Bill 2026 on Wednesday. On Thursday night, the House voted to amend HB 2026 further, striking out everything in the bill and inserting a compromise general revenue budget negotiated by the chairs of the House and Senate finance committees.
The compromise amendment passed the House in a 78-18 vote and heads back to the Senate to concur.
The compromise sets the general revenue budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 at $5.318 billion, slightly lower than the adjusted $5.322 billion general revenue estimate for fiscal year 2026 presented on behalf of Gov. Patrick Morrisey and the $5.321 billion approved by the Senate Wednesday.
