Post by Logan on Mar 12, 2016 0:45:03 GMT -6
After nearly three hours of debate Friday, the West Virginia House of Delegates passed its version of the state budget, 61-38, setting the stage for a contentious House-Senate budget conference and the prospect that legislators could be called back in special session this spring, to complete the 2016-17 state spending plan.
With no tax increases — House Finance Chairman Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha, said there was no “bipartisan support” for any of four tax proposals presented to the House — the House plan would close a massive budget shortfall by sweeping $72 million out of a variety of state agency accounts, raiding the state Rainy Day reserve funds for a total of $31 million, and imposing $17 million in additional state agency spending cuts on top of the 4.5 percent cuts in Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s budget.
Nelson said the alternative would be to eliminate programs, close state parks, and furlough state employees — as outlined in agency responses to his inquiry on how they would absorb even more severe 6.5 percent cuts.
“This is what we need to move our state forward, or we will be in real trouble,” he said.
However, Tomblin was particularly critical of the House plan earlier this week, saying it is not wise to build the state’s budget on one-time sources of revenue, which he said would only put off the budget crisis for one year.
See more at: www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20160311/wv-house-passes-budget-plan
With no tax increases — House Finance Chairman Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha, said there was no “bipartisan support” for any of four tax proposals presented to the House — the House plan would close a massive budget shortfall by sweeping $72 million out of a variety of state agency accounts, raiding the state Rainy Day reserve funds for a total of $31 million, and imposing $17 million in additional state agency spending cuts on top of the 4.5 percent cuts in Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s budget.
Nelson said the alternative would be to eliminate programs, close state parks, and furlough state employees — as outlined in agency responses to his inquiry on how they would absorb even more severe 6.5 percent cuts.
“This is what we need to move our state forward, or we will be in real trouble,” he said.
However, Tomblin was particularly critical of the House plan earlier this week, saying it is not wise to build the state’s budget on one-time sources of revenue, which he said would only put off the budget crisis for one year.
See more at: www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20160311/wv-house-passes-budget-plan