CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A day before the start of a special session on the state’s budget, Kanawha County delegates took part in two separate town hall events to better understand constituents’ concerns.
Democratic Delegates Andrew Robinson, Larry Rowe, Andrew Byrd and Mike Pushkin answered questions at Capital High School in Charleston, while Republican Delegate Ron Walters hosted a similar forum at the Alders Community Center in Sissonville.
Delegate Rodney Pyles, D-Monongalia, was a guest at the Charleston event.
Attendees at the Capital High town hall voiced their frustrations about budget cuts in the original legislative budget that was vetoed by Gov. Jim Justice on April 13. The proposal included cutting $110 million from higher education and the state Division of Health and Human Resources.
Pushkin said the audience was vocal, and that was a good thing.
“We didn’t come here to sell people a policy,” he said. “We came here to listen to what they wanted us to do.”
Tina Russell, a Glenwood substitute teacher, said the legislative budget would ahve hurt education.
“These cuts can affect public schools, libraries, the poorest among us, people suffering from opioid abuse,” she said.
Russell, who drove from Mercer County to attend the forum, said she attended the meeting as a representative of the Mercer Resistance Group, an organization she said is dedicated to keeping public officials accountable.
Robinson said while cuts would likely happen in the final budget, he wanted people to tell him about which programs would be the most important to protect. The audience said they did not want to see programs like Medicaid be cut if it meant tax cuts for wealthy West Virginians.
The compromise between the governor and Senate Republicans includes a Justice-backed measure that would result in individuals earning more than $300,000 to pay an additional surcharge between $250 and $1,000 a year. The state income tax brackets would be consolidated to three and all rates would be lowered. In addition, the sales tax would increase.
Rowe criticized the income tax reduction, saying tax needs have been cut too much by previous Legislatures.
He also encouraged attendees to run for political office and become more active in politics.
“Find women, for crying out loud,” he said. Only 13 delegates are female; two of those are Democrats.
Walters told television station WSAZ attendees at his Sissonville event spoke out against cuts to higher education and Medicaid, as well as gas and sales tax increases.
Pushkin said all the Kanawha County delegates were invited to the Charleston town hall, but some Republican lawmakers were at a caucus.
“There’s been a lot of meetings going on at the Capitol,” he said to the audience. “I think this is the most important meeting. With you.”
Pushkin said his game plan for the special session is to drop party politics and work with both Republicans and Democrats on passing a budget.
The Legislature will reconvene Thursday at 11 a.m.