By Esteban Fernandez
Times West Virginian
CHARLESTON — Jobs will lead this year’s legislative agenda, according to West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw.
The West Virginia Press Association held its annual legislative lookahead session, a preview of what lawmakers hope to accomplish before the end of the legislative session’s 60 days. The new session begins Jan. 14.
“We know that if we deal with jobs first, if we deal with an environment driving economy, we can solve a lot of problems,” Hanshaw said.
Hanshaw argued that centering the legislative agenda around job creation would provide the foundation to tackle the state’s social problems, such as educational attainment, family unification and the foster care crisis. Hanshaw said the plan was built on top of three pillars, the first of which was building the state’s population into a 21st century workforce.
Key to that goal will be ensuring teachers receive appropriate compensation. Hanshaw said the legislature will seek a teacher pay raise to $50,000 a year. Hanshaw also emphasized the importance of the state’s growing aviation industry, which is fueling workforce demand.
For the second pillar, Hanshaw also wants to make benefits portable, allowing workers to transition jobs with more ease. Along with portable benefits, Hanshaw wants to expand and expedite permits so projects can begin faster.
For the third pillar, Hanshaw said it rests on responsible economic growth. Encouraging housing construction by removing sales taxes on home construction materials. Hanshaw added responsible economic growth also rests on diversifying the state’s economy.
However, legislative Democratic leadership in the form of House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle and Senate Minority Leader Mike Woelfel, emphasized the importance of addressing longstanding challenges the state has faced, beginning with child welfare.
“Some of the priorities that I will personally advocate for this session will be the 6,000 children in our foster care system, which we all know is broken,” Woelfel said. “Those children are there through no fault of their own. We can’t really fix that without resources.”
Woelfel also opposed Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s plan to move forward with an income tax cut, despite the state not hitting its revenue target for an automatic trigger tax cut. The legislature passed the trigger cut in 2023, which only activates once the state hits its revenue goals. Woelfel also strongly defended public education from the effects of the Hope Scholarship, which has to a student exodus from the classroom to homeschooling and other options.
“There are people in the Senate, the House that don’t give a (expletive) they don’t care what happens to you,” Woelfel said. “They don’t care about public education. I don’t mean they want it to fail, but they don’t really care whether it fails or not. And, there are some frankly that want the public school system to fail.”
Woelfel urged the legislature to take up the question of the school aid funding formula. The current formula is outdated and schools must pay for support positions that are mandated by the legislature out of pocket, which strains counties’ school finances. Republican State Sen. Amy Grady, chair of the Senate Education Committee, however, placed emphasis on changing graduation requirements.
She said students need more pathways out of public education, and that the traditional four-year college experience isn’t for everyone. She said schools should prepare students with the skills employers are looking for.
Hornbuckle also brought up the subject of utility bill prices. He supports a freeze on utility bills to give the legislature time to find policy fixes. He also called for reforms to the Public Service Commission to make it more responsible to the people.
However, none of the suggestions from the Democrats has a chance of reaching bill status unless Hanshaw agrees to move it onto the legislative agenda.
“Folks think they have all the ideas and it never works out that way,” Hornbuckle said. “I think we have to make a concerted effort to put people first this legislative session.”
See more from the Times West Virginian