Lawmakers Joining Fight to Restore Child, Family Funding

Lawmakers are joining community action groups in asking the governor to restore funding to what they call critical childhood and domestic violence programs across the state.

The cuts came after the 2014 legislative session in the form of a line item veto- one that took $1.06 million from in-home family education, domestic violence services and child advocacy centers.

Governor Tomblin announced Wednesday he was restoring about $260,000 worth of funding, but took the money from a trust fund for future children’s programs.

Now, members of the Select Committee on Crimes Against Children are calling on the governor to restore the full million dollars he cut through a supplemental bill during May’s special legislative session.

Delegate Nancy Guthrie spoke to group of family and child service workers about the restoration during at a press conference at the Capitol Thursday.

“A million dollars is not a lot to ask for to make all of you whole, to allow you to be the troops that we need on the ground, in the communities, serving the people that you know,” she said.

“We know that the work that you do is not only important, but it’s crucial to keep our communities strong.”

Because of the cuts, advocates say more than 80 jobs will be lost from family resource centers and domestic violence programs across the state.