CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Senate Education Committee will pass the WVU Tech relocation bill to the full Senate floor following a voice vote Thursday evening.
The committee offered two successful amendments to the legislation the House adopted last month.
The city of Montgomery, WVU Tech’s home for more than 100 years, was not listed as a collaborative partner with the Fayette County Commission, the Kanawha County Commission, or the city of Smithers in the bill. Senator Bill Laird (D – Fayette, 10) offered an amendment that gives Montgomery the option of being listed “should they choose to do so.”
“To have language in this bill that includes the Kanawha County Commission, the Fayette County Commission, and the City of Smithers… God love them all, but this institution’s been in Montgomery since 1895,” Laird said. “And the city of Montgomery needs to be listed as a collaborative participant in the language of this bill.”
The second amendment will include the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg as an educational collaborator with the other schools listed in this bill.
“If the purpose of the bill is to create an educational collaboration, to add to folks comfort levels about any shifts and things, I think it would be appropriate to add the School of Osteopathic Medicine,” Laird said.
That passed by unanimous voice vote.
A third amendment would have delayed moving the “headquarters” of the WVU Tech campus until July 1, 2017, but that did not pass.
“I am concerned that there is no economic impact statement that has been done in advance of the closure of a major institution in a small community that is very fragile at best,” Senator Laird said.
WVU Vice President Rob Alsop said the data over the last four years was pretty indicative, but WVU has agreed to undertake an economic growth analysis for the area, an economic impact study on the loss of WVU Tech, a comprehensive plan for Montgomery and Smithers, increased use of WVU Extension services, short-term assistance on identifying state and federal grants available to local governments in the area, and health care initiatives that aim to improve health of these communities.
A significant portion of the discussion Thursday afternoon focused on the pending lawsuit in Kanawha County Circuit Court, and how that could impact or be impacted by the pending legislation of H.B. 4310.
“I have grown increasingly concern about the dependency of the lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Kanawha County before Judge Bloom,” Senator Laird said. “Not wanting to preempt, or otherwise pick winners and losers, I think that’s something that we should try to avoid if it can be avoided.”
The lawsuit, filed in January, will likely help define exactly what current state code means when it discusses the concept of WVU Tech’s headquarters, the requirement that it remain in Montgomery, and the WVU Board of Governor’s authority in the matter of relocating WVU Tech.
The House of Delegates passed H.B. 4310 by a 67-32 margin last month.