During his COVID briefing last Monday, Gov. Jim Justice talked about West Virginia’s “off the charts” economic surplus. He also voiced support for President Biden’s larger stimulus package over the smaller GOP-proposed relief bill. As Justice said, “I am absolutely for helping our people … I think you go bold.” Which made us wonder …
Why doesn’t West Virginia create its own COVID-19 relief legislation?
We learned the hard way over the summer that leaving stimulus packages in the hands of the federal government alone is a good way to get stuck with nothing. Washington moves slowly at the best of times and partisan gridlock held up the entire nation for months as the pandemic ravaged the economy.
But West Virginia has a budget surplus of almost $174 million. And the Legislature starts its session Wednesday. Our lawmakers already have the pandemic on their minds, and there are already plans to tackle major issues like broadband access and health care reform. So why wait for the federal government to quit bickering when we can be proactive? Let’s expand that focus a little and create a West Virginia stimulus bill for West Virginians.
We’re not proposing the state make direct payments to residents. (We’ll watch that fight play out in Washington.) But, the Legislature should create and fund programs to help West Virginians weather the pandemic.
Start with small businesses. Yes, there is some federal aid for small businesses, but an entire country is fighting over those grants. Use some of our budget surplus to create a grant program specifically for small and locally owned businesses in West Virginia. According to the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy’s 2018 Small Business Profile (based on 2015 data), small businesses make up about 99% of the state’s total businesses and employ about half the state’s workforce. Too many businesses have closed their doors permanently over the last 11 months; we must support the ones that remain.
The Legislature should also look at rent assistance. This could take the form of payments to renters or financial aid for landlords so they can better help their tenants. Lawmakers could model a program on California’s plan to offer landlords 80% of what tenants owe in back-rent in exchange for forgiving the remaining 20%. Legislators might also consider a program that would help individuals or families who are behind on mortgage payments and could face foreclosure. It’s been a cold and snowy winter so far, and the coronavirus is still tearing through our communities. The last thing we want to see is people getting thrown out on the streets.
We hope there is another COVID relief package coming out of Washington, but who knows how long that will take — or what will even end up in it. But if we have over a $170 million surplus in the West Virginia state budget, then we should put that money to work for us.
Businesses are struggling. Families are struggling. When the Legislature starts its session Wednesday, it needs to commit to helping West Virginians — and that’s going to mean opening up the state’s pocketbook. Investing in West Virginians now means the Mountain State survives to see tomorrow.
