BACK PEW: Behind the scenes of the special session
By Stephen Baldwin
There’s a running joke around the capitol. Whenever a member of the public asks how a special session went, insiders from both sides of the aisle usually smile and say, “It was…special.”
Gov. Justice called legislators into special session on September 30 to provide a 5% income tax cut, address child care, and approve supplemental budget appropriations from surplus dollars. Pretty standard stuff.
But the Republican legislature was split on the tax cut, split on the child care issue, and split on supplementals (with some wanting to see more spending in particular areas of interest to them, others wanting to stop all the spending).
As a result, the legislature quickly passed a couple bills everyone agreed on and then went home, to avoid wasting $35,000 a day being in session. They reassembled a week later after negotiating details.
As Matthew Young covered yesterday, here’s a recap of what they actually did.
TAX CUT. The proposed 5% income tax cut was reduced to 2%. Why? Republican legislators were afraid they couldn’t afford any more than that. Several years of record revenues, fueled by federal dollars, are ending. Tax cuts haven’t yet produced promised economic growth. Population decline continues. Severance revenues from natural resources are sharply down.
Add all that together, and the next few years are likely to produce leaner budgets than the last few. Tax cuts, once enacted, take money from the state budget every year, and the absolute last thing those in power want to do is increase taxes. It’s political suicide, not to mention against their political ideology.
With the 2% cut, the average West Virginian will save about 40 cents per week. And who pays for it? Not who you’d think. It was paid for taking money from the Departments of Health, Human Services, and Health Facilities. The same agencies who struggle to care for foster kids, those living with substance use disorder, and patients at state hospitals.
Privately, Republican legislators were frustrated at the governor for calling the session and backing them in a corner. He has a bully pulpit, and he knows how to use it. He’s a very influential politician who knows how to get the outcomes he desires. And in the end, they didn’t want to upset their relationship with the man who is poised to be their next US Senator.
CHILD CARE. On child care, legislators literally did the least they could–a small tax credit which will only help families who can already afford child care. Time and time again when I was serving, companies who wanted to locate here did not do so because of…child care. It’s that important and that lacking. Nothing substantial was done to correct the child care desert, unfortunately.
PEIA INCREASES. After significant increases to state and local employees who receive health care via PEIA the last two years, folks were hoping things would stabilize this year. But a report from PEIA received during the special session said the opposite. Costs are about to go up again. And much more this time. We will cover the details at RealWV in the coming weeks.
ELECTION LEGITIMACY. The one item that garnered the most attention from the special session actually didn’t happen. A few delegates filed a resolution “requesting that the West Virginia Legislature shall not recognize an illegitimate presidential election.”
National Republican political pundit Rick Wilson said of the resolution offered by members of his own party, “This is how elections are stolen.”
It died, as Republican legislative leadership had no interest in it, and it had nothing to do with the special session. Except that it was…special.
That’s my view of the latest legislative news from the back pew! May God bless you all. Let’s do our best to stay sane, safe, and sincere over the next month as folks head to the polls. Our nation is depending on us.
Stephen Baldwin is the Publisher of RealWV, a Presbyterian pastor, and the former WV Senate Minority Leader.
