CHARLESTON, W. Va. — The state Senate Wednesday passed its version of a proposed budget, taking another step toward a showdown between the Republican-led Legislature and Democratic Governor Jim Justice.
The Senate voted 20-14 to approve the $4.104 billion budget proposal. The vote was along party lines, except for Republicans Jeff Mullins (R-Raleigh) and Mike Maroney (R-Marshall) who voted with the Democrats in opposition to the bill.
The action sets up an eventual conference committee with representatives from both chambers to try to reach agreement on a spending plan that can win passage in the House and the Senate.
Lawmakers don’t have much time to resolve differences. The regular session ends at midnight Saturday and Governor Justice Wednesday signed a proclamation extending the session for just one additional day to work on the budget.
Meanwhile, Justice gathered with 34 House Democrats to demonstrate support for his spending plan, while again criticizing the GOP proposals. Justice uncovered two dinner plates, one with an empty bun and the second with a spread of mayonnaise on a bun.
He said they represented the two budget plans–a “nothing burger” and a “mayonnaise sandwich.”
The Senate’s budget fulfills the Republican pledge not to spend any more money than the state is expected to collect in revenue in FY 2018. “We have to control the spending, and we tried to do this in the most compassionate, responsible, reasonable manner possible,” said Senate President Mitch Carmichael (R-Jackson), who left the podium and returned to his seat in the chamber in order to speak in support of the bill.
The bill spends less than the House plan of $4.24 billion and Governor Justice’s proposal of $4.39 billion. The Senate budget achieves balance by cutting $50 million from higher education and $48 million from the Department of Health and Human Resources. It also cuts $77 million from public education, but makes up for those reductions by allowing counties to raise property taxes.
Carmichael said it is time for the state to live within its means. “You have to make the hard choices,” Carmichael said. “Certainly we could come in, raise more taxes and continue to overspend or dip in the Rainy Day Fund and take from our savings again. That’s not the right path.”
However, Democrats rose one after another to criticize the budget as punitive, particularly toward the poor. “It’s a sad day,” said Senate Minority Leader Roman Prezioso (D-Marion). “I’ve never seen a budget so cruel.”
“Reductions of this magnitude will severely negatively impact this state for the years to come,” Prezioso said.