WV House Democrats set their legislative priorities on the kitchen table

By Autumn Shelton, RealWV

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – With the second regular session of the 87th Legislature set to begin on Jan. 14, West Virginia’s House Republicans and Governor Patrick Morrisey have discussed their top priorities for the state. Now, House Democrats have added their priorities for the session. 

On Monday, the nine democratic members of the West Virginia House of Delegates held a press conference where they said their focus would be on kitchen table issues, including utility bills, healthcare, childcare, and housing. 

“Last year we set out across the state on our kitchen table tour, and we listened and we found out just exactly what West Virginians are wanting, where they’re hurting and where we need to significantly impact their lives,” said House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell. “That’s how we have arrived at our kitchen table agenda this upcoming legislative session.” 

According to Hornbuckle, the people of West Virginia are most concerned about the higher cost of living, ever-increasing utility bills, the need for clean drinking water, concerns over affordable prescription drugs and the lack of housing. 

To tackle the rising cost of utility bills, Hornbuckle said they have a “three-prong plan to provide relief to West Virginians.”

Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, added that the state’s electric rates have increased faster than for those in other states. 

“The reason for that has been some bad decisions made by this legislature and the Public Service Commission,” Hansen said, adding that House Democrats have a bill to freeze electric rates until mid-2027. 

“That would give this legislature some time to implement good policies,” Hansen continued. “One good policy that we’d like to see get across the finish line this year is reform at the Public Service Commission, because they have so much power in terms of approving electric rate increases.” 

Hansen said the Public Service Commission reform package includes ethics reform, defines public interest and requires the commissioners to make decisions in the interest of the public, not the electric companies. The package also includes legislation that would mandate that Public Service commissioners hold elected positions, instead of appointed positions.  This change, Hansen said, would increase commissioner accountability to residents of the state. 

Additionally, Hansen said that embracing an all-of-the-above energy approach, including wind and solar, is essential to bringing electric rates down. 

Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, added that he would like to see utility bill “junk fees” reform. 

“For example, when you pay a processing fee, in many states they’ve looked at this and said, ‘Wait a minute, we’re basing this off of the actual monthly bill rate and on the fee itself,’” Fluharty said, noting that transparency from companies over these charges is needed. “Right now, it’s a grey area where there is no transparency.” 

Fluharty added that Democrats want to work with Republicans on these kitchen table issues, and not just the “social issue bullshit” that will get politicians re-elected come November. 

“We’ve seen, a few weeks ago, the Speaker [Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay] came out with his caucus and said, ‘We’re gonna try to focus on things that will actually help West Virginians.’ And, we welcome that, but you’ll notice he’s on a bit of an island because the Senate wasn’t with him and the Governor’s office wasn’t with him when he was addressing their platform,” Fluharty said. “So, we’re hoping that the House can come together and be the adults in the room, as we’ve been for a long time, and try to unite West Virginians instead of working on legislation that only creates division between our neighbors.” 

As for housing, Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia, said that democrats are looking at credits for first time homebuyers, and mentioned other kitchen table concerns. 

“People don’t sit [at the kitchen table] and imagine standing up while riding their motorcycle,” Williams said, referencing a bill that was passed during last year’s legislative session. “They don’t think about what’s going on in the bathrooms, they don’t think about those things. They think about their bottom line – how much things cost. I guarantee that the mortgage comes up a lot. So that’s an issue we can address along with childcare and healthcare costs. Families are paying too much for both of those things.” 

Hornbuckle added that work needs to be done with those in the private sector, not just those who build luxury condos, to help not only homeowners, but those who rent as well. 

“If we can’t make that affordable for them, they can’t focus on anything else,” Hornbuckle said. “So, we will be crafting legislation for solutions to look at how we help people with renting as well.” 

Hansen added that democrats also plan to find ways to work with local municipalities to address housing concerns. 

“We want to let everyone know that we are here as a House Democrat caucus, and our two senators in the Senate, to fight for West Virginia,” Hornbuckle concluded. “That’s what we’re gonna do. And, we’re gonna make sure the kitchen table issues are the focus of our agenda.”