By PHIL KABLER Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Senate leaders began crafting a counter-offer Monday to the House of Delegates’ revenue plan with a new proposal that would restore the Senate’s proposed cuts in income tax rates but would increase the state sales tax to 7.25 percent —[Read More…]
Government
Editorial: Start planning for worst-case scenario
From The Dominion Post of Morgantown: “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.” Or in this instance, if the dragon is only six weeks away from potentially taking wing and torching your state government. That quote above is from[Read More…]
Editorial: Reminder to legislators — Community colleges offer more bang for the buck
From the Weirton Daily Times: Among college graduates throughout West Virginia this spring are thousands who were in and out of higher education in two years. They earned degrees and certificates at community and technical colleges, which seem to be growing in popularity. Why is that? Simply because more potential[Read More…]
W.Va. lawmakers support ruling on sex workers
By LACIE PIERSON The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Where West Virginia laws may be ambiguous regarding commercial sexual activities, West Virginia lawmakers say the circumstances leading people into those activities are just as ambiguous. Local representatives in the West Virginia House of Delegates said last week they were[Read More…]
Editorial: Tax reform is necessary; timing is everything
From The Charleston Gazette-Mail, Daily-Mail editorial page: To his credit, Senate President Mitch Carmichael has focused like a laser beam on the idea of reducing the state income tax. Good for him. It will be even better for West Virginia if he can make it happen. The love Carmichael, R-Jackson, and many[Read More…]
New WV House revenue bill would call for budget cuts
By PHIL KABLER Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In the latest chapter of the legislative budget impasse, the West Virginia House Finance Committee on Thursday advanced a new revenue plan that does not increase the state sales tax, does not lower income tax rates — and does not raise enough[Read More…]
House Finance finishes overview of Parkways Authority Bill
By DAVID BEARD The Dominion Post CHARLESTON, W.Va. — House Finance wrapped up its overview of HB 103, the Parkways Authority bill, Thursday morning — to provide the fodder to rewrite the bill. Most of the questioning focused on the governor’s plan to offer all West Virginians a flat $8[Read More…]
Support for WV budget proposal seems to be slipping away
By PHIL KABLER Charleston Gazette-Mail Lawmakers moved closer Wednesday to taking a second hiatus from the special legislative session on the 2017-18 West Virginia budget, as support for a Gov. Jim Justice/Senate compromise revenue plan continued to unravel on the session’s fifth day. Despite a pep talk Tuesday from Justice[Read More…]
West Virginia senators head home without budget deal
By JOSELYN KING The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register WHEELING, W.Va. — West Virginia Senate members recessed from a special legislative session in Charleston and went home Wednesday after the House again failed to take up any legislation pertaining to West Virginia’s 2018 budget. Wednesday marked the third day this week[Read More…]
Justice begs House to pass a budget; Senate waits
By LACIE PIERSON The Herald-Dispatch CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Any lingering optimism for a quick and easy legislative session to establish a budget for the state of West Virginia for 2018 was fading in the West Virginia Capitol on Wednesday. Wednesday was the fifth day of a special session of the 83rd[Read More…]
