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House passes budget bill

CHARLESTON — The West Virginia House of Delegates passed its version of Gov. Jim Justice’s budget bill Friday with members asking leadership to defend the bill from changes by the Senate.

House Bill 2022 passed in an 83-14 vote Friday afternoon after a lengthy debate on amendments and the bill itself.

The bill, originally introduced on behalf of and presented by Justice during his Feb. 10 State of the State address, is the version of the general revenue budget as amended by the House Finance Committee earlier last week.

The only Republican to vote against the bill Friday was Del. Shannon Kimes, R-Wood, while nine out of 22 Democratic members present voted with the Republican majority. One of those votes was House Finance Committee Minority Chairman Brent Boggs, D-Braxton, who once chaired the same committee when Democrats held the majority.

“I certainly supported the budget coming out of committee,” Boggs said. “It’s not everything that I would like, but certainly I believe the budget is worthy of my support leaving this body. Even though that’s not perfect, there has never been a perfect budget that I’m aware of.”

HB 2022 presents a $4.493 billion general revenue budget, which was $70 million less than the updated $4.570 billion general revenue estimates from the Department of Revenue for fiscal year 2022 beginning on July 1.

The House Finance Committee substitute for HB 2022 makes $80.1 million in budget cuts, including $18 million to West Virginia University; $10 million to Marshall University; $7.8 million to the new Department of Economic Development; $7 million to the new Department of Tourism; and $7 million for the Veterans Nursing Home in Beckley.

Many of the cuts are made up in the surplus section in HB 2022. When the current fiscal year ends on June 30, any remaining surplus collections would go to return the funds cut to these programs once half of the surplus is transferred to the state’s rainy day fund as required by state code. The state already has $235.4 million in surplus for the current fiscal year ending on June 30 and is expected to end the fiscal year with approximately $300 million in surplus.

Democratic lawmakers attempted to offer amendments to HB 2022 to include additional items in the surplus funding section of the budget, included additional funding for the Jobs and Hope substance abuse treatment and job training program, Marshall University’s Minority Health Institute, and state aid for basic public health services.

Del. John Doyle, D-Jefferson, also offered an unsuccessful amendment to return the cut funding for WVU and Marshall. While the House budget made no other cuts to higher education and included the cut funding for WVU and Marshall in the surplus section of the budget, Doyle said the cuts should be restored.

“This sends exactly the wrong message to the rest of the country and the rest of the world,” Doyle said. “This says clearly West Virginia does not care about higher education.”

The Senate’s version of the budget also is moving. Senate Bill 125 will be on second reading today. SB 125 is $4.495 billion, which is $2 million more than the House’s budget, but $75 million less than the governor’s proposed budget. It also includes $83.4 million in cuts to the governor’s budget, including $21.2 million in 1.5 percent recommended cuts to state agencies.

The Senate budget, unlike the House budget, includes $18 million in cuts to WVU and Marshall, as well as $2.4 million in cuts to the state’s four-year and two-year higher education system with no opportunity to be made whole in the surplus section of the budget. SB 125 also cuts $3.3 million from the Jobs and Hope Program, $1.2 million from the Communities in Schools mentoring program, and $3.8 million from the Educational Broadcast Authority.

Del. Mick Bates, D-Raleigh, was the previous minority chairman of the House Finance Committee. He voted in favor of HB 2022 and urged the Republican majority to fight for the House’s version of the budget.

“We’ve not been treated real well by our colleagues down the hall, and they have taken positions that are opposed to the position of the posture of the House on several issues to this point,” Bates said. “I support the chairman and his budget and the House’s budget … and that we defend our priorities and our position as we move forward in the negotiations with the Senate.”

(Adams can be contacted at sadams@newsandsentinel.com)

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