February 15th, 2025 by WCBC Radio
While officially the 2025 Session of the West Virginia began on January 8th, we really didn’t start until February 12th. The year immediately following a gubernatorial election, the legislature gavels in, then immediately recesses for a month to give the new governor time to assemble his or her cabinet and prepare a budget. This is one of those years and the 60-day session will end in April instead of March.
On the Monday before the start of the session, the legislature held two days of interim meetings, including the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Tourism, which I co-chair with my Senate counterpart, Senator Glenn Jeffries. We received three presentations during the meeting. The first presentation was by Lora Walker of the WV Department of Agriculture on the Appalachian Overland Triangle. This initiative, supported by an Appalachian Regional Commission grant request, aims to promote “overlanding,” a type of off-road camping in remote areas. The project will include parts of Ohio, parts of Kentucky, and all of West Virginia.
As part of this effort, the WV Department of Agriculture will promote West Virginia Grown to support local farmers and is partnering with Backroads of Appalachia to establish a visitors center focused on West Virginia Grown products and motor tourism. If the grant is approved, the state will receive $3.2 million for the project. Backroads of Appalachia also presented at the meeting on the success they have had in promoting motor tourism in West Virginia. Whether it be the 24hrs of Appalachia held in West Virginia where drivers from across the country traverse the state on 500 miles of backroads, or the successful hill climb known as Hillfest held at Snowshoe resort in the summer, West Virginia is becoming a destination for motor tourism. Backroads of Appalachia had over a $42 million impact on the state’s economy in 2024 and we expect that to grow in 2025.
The Joint Committee on Government and Finance, the combined leadership committee of the Legislature, also met. During the meeting, we had the opportunity to meet some of Governor Morrisey’s new cabinet officials: Stephen Todd Rumbaugh, Secretary of the Department of Transportation; Dr. Matthew Herridge, Secretary of the Department of Commerce; and Chelsea Ruby, who is returning as Secretary of the Department of Tourism. They briefly outlined the governor’s priorities for their respective departments and discussed the challenges they anticipate facing moving forward.
We also had the monthly presentation on the state’s financial position. While January was slightly below revenue estimates for the month, year to date the state’s revenue remains above estimates and the state is in a strong financial position coming into the new fiscal year.
On Wednesday, Governor Morrisey delivered his State of the State address. While he did not provide many specific figures, I was pleased to hear him emphasize his commitment to improving teacher salaries and making West Virginia more attractive to the high-tech sector, including efforts to bring data centers to the state.
On Thursday House Finance met and received the Governor’s proposed budget. The state constitution requires the budget be balanced, we are not allowed to take on debt unless by vote of people and the issuance of bonds. The Governor’s budget was balanced as required by law. I see no structural defects in the state’s revenue projections, and for the past several years we have been holding back on growing government, so maintaining a budget that serves the people of West Virginia is an achievable goal.
Thursday was also Mineral County Day at the Legislature, and it was great to see so many familiar
December 11th, 2024 by WCBC Radio
The December interim meetings of the West Virginia Legislature have wrapped up. On Sunday an organizational caucus was held by the Republican members of the House and a separate one by the Senate. Current Speaker Roger Hanshaw will continue as Speaker of the House for the 87th legislature. On the Senate side outgoing Senate President Craig Blair will be replaced by Senator Randy Smith. Senator Blair represented part of Mineral County and with redistricting complete after this past election, Randy Smith represents all of Mineral County, so we will continue to be well represented in Charleston.
The Joint Committee on Finance met on Monday and received two presentations. The first was the monthly update on the state’s finances, which showed that revenues remained strong in November. Most revenue categories are meeting or slightly exceeding year-to-date estimates, though Severance Tax revenues are lagging due to falling energy prices from recent historical highs.
As the state moves into the new year, a significant surplus like those seen in recent years is unlikely, but overall, the state’s financial position remains solid.
The second presentation was on the West Virginia First Foundation. WVFF is committing millions of dollars to a project that could curtail the effects of addiction across Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Putnam, Raleigh, and Wayne counties. This impacts the area of West Virginia that has been hit the hardest by the opioid epidemic. The program is anticipated to expand in its second year to Mingo, McDowell and Wyoming counties and then to Mercer, Summers and Monroe. As this develops, data will be used to expand the program based off of success and not just throwing money at the problem as has been past practice.
The Leadership Committee of the Legislature, known as the Joint Committee on Government and Finance, convened on Tuesday. Alongside the state’s financial report, the committee reviewed several reports from the Performance Evaluation and Research Division (PERD) of the Legislative Auditor's Office. These included evaluations of the Broadband Loan Insurance Program (BLIN) and the Department of Transportation’s Division of Highways.
PERD reported that the Broadband Loan Insurance Program is functioning well overall, though it highlighted issues with the accessibility of required public information. BLIN has agreed with the findings and is working to improve its website, making loan-related documents easier to locate. Of the 13 loans, totaling approximately $80 million, all are current on payments, and it is unlikely the state will need to step in as guarantor.
The audit of the Division of Highways showed progress since the last review, with one issue fully resolved and significant advancements on others. However, the agency still faces challenges in fully accounting for the property it owns. Some of these difficulties date back to 1863, when West Virginia became a state and records may not have been transferred from Richmond. Despite these challenges, the Division of Highways is making improvements, which is a positive development for taxpayers.
The Joint Committee on Economic Development received an update from the West Virginia Grant Resource Center. Established in 2022 as a partnership between Marshall University and West Virginia University, the center provides free grant-writing services to local entities, offering university-level expertise to help secure funding.
Since its creation, the center has helped secure $41.4 million in additional grants for the state, with an estimated economic impact of $65 million. These grants come from federal, state, foundational, and other sources. The center’s services are available to local governments and non-governmental organizations focused on improving economic development, tourism, and public safety. For more information, feel free to contact my office or visit wvgrantcenters.com.
If you have any questions, need help with a state agency, or just have an idea that you think would make the state better my contact is Gary.Howell@WVHouse.gov, and my phone is (304) 340-3191, so please let me know. Until my next report, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
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