Speaker Tim Armstead says the Republican leadership has cut the House of Delegates staff over the past two years, saving more than $367,000 on its annual payroll.
The Kanawha County Republican says that in 2014, before a Republican majority took control of the chamber, the House had 49 full-time staff, 68 per diem employees and an annual payroll of $3.1 million.
This year, it will have 43 full-time staff and 52 per diems.
Armstead says the cuts have not affected productivity or the level of services.
According to Armstead, the House has saved more than $1.6 million the last two years by streamlining the interim committee process and reducing compensation for lawmaker and staff travel.
Democratic Minority Leader Tim Miley didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.
Entering an election year, state officials aren’t thrilled by suggestions to raise taxes, tolls and fees for roads.
As federal money keeps fizzling, some aren’t dismissing the idea.
West Virginia’s problems appear to be about upkeep, not necessarily congestion.
U.S. Census data from 2013 shows Charleston and Huntington metro areas had commute times about two minutes lower than the national average, almost 26 minutes. The Martinsburg-Hagerstown, Maryland, area exceeds the average by four minutes but includes Washington commuters.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s highways commission suggests adding $419.8 million for roads annually, including tax, toll and fee increases.
Senate President Bill Cole, the top Republican candidate for governor, said everything needs consideration but focus should be on cutting wasteful spending.
Republican House Speaker Tim Armstead expressed concern about raising taxes.
In some counties in the state, deaths from heroin overdoses have tripled in the past three years, drawing the attention of both lawmakers and law…
In some counties in the state, deaths from heroin overdoses have tripled in the past three years, drawing the attention of both lawmakers and law enforcement looking for ways to combat the problem.
At the statehouse, lawmakers approved the Opioid Antagonist Act during the 2015 Legislative session. The bill expands access to the overdose reversing drug Naloxone, allowing police officers to carry it and also family members and friends of addicts to seek a prescription for the medication.
Naloxone, if followed by more intense medical treatment, can save a person’s life giving them a second chance, according to Joseph Garcia, Gov. Tomblin’s legislative affairs director. Tomblin backed the bill.
But members of both the House and Senate leadership say the new law alone will not decrease the number of heroin overdose fatalities. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael said that ‘more’ should include a focus on rehabilitative services and a program to drug test those on public assistance.
“Now, it’s not a punitive measure, it’s a compassionate response to identify those who are using illegal drugs and channelthem into some kind of a counseling program,” he said.
Carmichael introduced a bill during the 2015 session to create a pilot program, but the bill didn’t pass out of committee.
House Speaker Tim Armstead agreed rehabilitative services are important, but he would like to see the Legislature focus on increased penalties for people selling drugs and bringing them across state lines.
“That’s not going to be an easy thing to do, but it’s something we may need to do because if you are making money on a drug trade, you need to be in jail,” he said.
Gary Tennis, Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, said he believes both Carmichael and Armstead can be right.
“I think that we need strong treatment, strong prevention and strong law enforcement,” Tennis said. “I don’t think there’s a conflict.”
Tennis cautioned, however, when Pennsylvania raised the mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes, a bill he wrote while working as a lobbyist for the state’s District Attorney Association, Pennsylvania saw a drastic increase in its prison population, a problem West Virginia is already working to address.
Andrea Boxill, Deputy Director of the Governor’s Cabinet Level Opiate Action Team in Ohio, has watched the problem grow in her state as well. She urged West Virginia lawmakers to approach solutions to substance abuse and drug deaths from a regional stand point, working with other states to combat the problem.
Every year the Governor’s State of the State address signifies the start of a new legislative session. It’s a time for him to introduce both his proposed budget and legislative priorities for the year. From education to jobs to infrastructure, a number of topics will be mentioned in the hopes of keeping West Virginia moving forward.
With the majority switch in both the House and the Senate, something the state hasn’t seen for some 80 years, the change in leadership may prove to be very interesting.
Incoming Senate President, Bill Cole and incoming House Speaker, Tim Armstead both agree that two of the topics they hope the Governor will speak about is the need for jobs and a better education system.
“The thing that I believe we continue to go back to is the need for jobs, bringing jobs to our state, and creating an environment that is conducive to bring businesses that bring those jobs,” said incoming Senate President, Bill Cole, “So I’d like to hear him talk about, you know, clearing the decks a little bit, working, you know, with us on the agenda we plan to bring, to bring those jobs.”
Credit Ashton Marra / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Incoming House Speaker, Tim Armstead.
Incoming House Speaker, Tim Armstead, says to attract better jobs, the state needs a better education system.
“Even if we create the jobs, and we don’t have an educated workforce that can fill those jobs, then we’re still not solving the core issue that we need to solve,” noted Armstead, “so I really believe that those two work hand-in-hand, a strong vibrant economy, and a solid educational system in our state are the two keys to really moving our state forward and keeping our kids here in West Virginia.”
Armstead says he also thinks there’s too much control on the state level of West Virginia’s educational systems.
“I would like to see much more of the resources, the effort, the control of our education system be back at the classroom level, back at the school level, be back at the county level,” Armstead said, “And so, I don’t know that there is a tense relationship, I wouldn’t say between our Legislature and our Board, but I do think there may be a difference of opinion as to where that control and those resources should be centered.”
Both say they are hoping to work with the Governor and across the aisle with Democrats to better the education system and the business climate.
Senator Cole hopes the Governor avoids using the Rainy Day Fund as much as possible.
“It’s there for a rainy day, but I don’t want to think that you know, one and two and three and four years of budget shortfalls qualifies a rainy day,” explained Cole, “At some point in time, we have to look in the mirror and say, wait a minute, you know, why are we continuing to have these budget shortfalls, we need to fix something else.”
Both Senator Cole and Delegate Armstead agree that change will need to happen this session for West Virginia’s situation to improve.
The Governor’s State of the State address will begin tonight at 7:00pm on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
