MORGANTOWN – House and Senate Democratic leaders unveiled their party platform for the current legislative session Monday morning.
It’s built on three ideas, House Minority Leader Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha, told the press members gathered for the virtual press conference. Every bill should be based on the principles of what will encourage West Virginians to “stay, rebuild and succeed.”
One way to achieve those three things, said Minority Whip Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, is to turn the PROMISE Scholarship back into a full-ride scholarship. It began that way but no longer is.
And the governor’s proposal to eliminate the state income tax could wipe it out, he said. A GOP House member survey sent out by Majority Whip Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson – and leaked by the blog site Dragline – to gauge members’ willingness to make certain cuts included eliminating PROMISE as one of the possibilities.
If anything, he said, PROMISE could be targeted to entice students to certain important fields, such as STEM, he said.
Democrats also want to see the Fairness Act passed this session, he said. The Fairness Act, already enacted in some cities around the state, would guarantee civil rights to members of the LGBTQ community.
Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin, D-Greenbrier, said, “Our state has been devastated by the loss of our greatest resource, and that’s our young people.”
The long-term focus should be on rebuilding infrastructure, he said: water and sewer systems, roads, broadband. “Broadband, we really think, is the key.”
National broadband providers have failed to make access available to all, he said. “We need to build the system ourselves. It has to be open access in order to offer better quality at a lower price.”
Tax reform should be focused on those who need it the most, he said.
Sen. Richard Lindsay, D-Kanawha, echoed that. Don’t give money away to the wealthiest or to out-of-state corporations, he said. Use federal stimulus dollars and tax reform for small business and families. Pursue policies that remove barriers to employment.
Gov. Jim Justice’s proposal to end the state income tax offers a set of tax hikes to offset some of the losses: Tier the severance tax on oil and gas; raise the sales tax by 1.5% to 7.5%; raise the taxes on cigarettes and soda; tax professional services; establish a wealth tax.
The Dominion Post asked if the minority could get behind any of those proposals.
Skaff said, “There are better ideas.” But, they all agreed, they haven’t seen a bill yet with any specifics. They want numbers.
Baldwin said, “These aren’t just numbers, we’re talking about peoples lives.”
And Skaff said every proposal should be evaluated in the light of who does it help, who does it hurt.”
The tax hikes, he said, simply shift the money from one pocket to another. People who can afford the proposed tax cuts are the ones making the most money.
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