West Virginia legislators passed a budget bill historically early as a strategy to have enough time to override possible line item vetoes from the governor.
The governor’s line item vetoes in the $5.5 billion budget that he signed this week wound up being relatively mild. So lawmakers, in the last hours of the regular session, wound up not having to ramp up to any kind of overrides.
“It was a win, win, win,” said Delegate David McCormick, R-Monongalia, on WAJR Radio. “The House, the Senate and the governor did a fantastic job of preparing the budget, and I’m real proud of that.”
Clay Riley, vice chairman of the House Finance Committee, agreed and used similar terminology.
“I think the budget was really a great product. I think the House, the Senate and the executive were able to really work together and come out with a win, win, win product,” said Riley, R-Harrison.
“We were able to fund infrastructure improvements to water and sewer; we were able to fund our education. So I think it was really a great work product, and I think it was really successful.”
Riley, in a conversation on the House floor, said the conclusion was no need to override line-item vetoes.
The budget bill passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor reflects about $5.5 billion in estimated general revenue spending.
The package has an average 3% public employee pay raise and allows room for the 5% personal income tax cut that the governor proposed. The governor has consistently asked lawmakers to collaborate to find a way to get to a 10% tax cut.
The 5% amounts to about $125 million in state revenue. The 10% would be $250 million.
Lawmakers reached final agreement Saturday on the bill that leads to the tax cut. The legislation at one point also had an increase in the vape tax but delegates took it out. Senators on Saturday agreed to that change.
Total funding for the Hope Scholarship is about $290 million through several funding methods. This is the first year the funding has been available to all families outside the public school system.
Although lawmakers discussed additional financial support for the public school system, that is not reflected in this budget.
“It provides some relief to our taxpayers and it provides sufficient money for public education. And we’ve got surplus money for highways; we’ve got an extra $19 million to help with the foster care crisis,” said Senator Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, also speaking on WAJR Radio.
“There’s some good things in that budget that I think will be helpful, and there’s some investment things in there too to help with economic development.”
Senate Judiciary Chairman Tom Willis, R-Berkeley, said the final budget bill is acceptable even with the few line item vetoes the governor chose to make.
“My personal opinion is that we can live with the vetoes that the governor proposed,” Willis said in the hours before the session ended. “Honestly, there were fewer vetoes than I expected, so I think we’ll live with it rather than try to override anything that he vetoed.”