MORGANTOWN – The state Senate moved several bills providing money for roads and corrections over to the House on Monday, the second day of the special session.
SB 1027 sends $150 million to the Division of Highways: $100 million for maintenance of secondary roads not eligible for federal funds and $50 million for equipment. Finance chair Eric Tarr- R-Putnam, told his colleagues that some of the maintenance work has already been done and members should check with the local DOH offices on that.
Sen. Randy Smith, R-Tucker, said that while some roads are getting paved, they aren’t getting ditched or otherwise receiving preventative maintenance, so work that was done just a couple years ago needs to be redone, as potholes and washouts are occurring.
“It’d be nice if we had better communications with the Department of Highways,” he said. “We’re giving the money and I think they ought to be held accountable for the money we’re giving them.”
SB 1003 provides $2,913,917 to the Division of Corrections to provide one-time retention payments of $2,294 to non-uniformed employees.
SB 1005 includes $11,027,839 for pay raises for corrections officers and $2,660,749 for juvenile services officers.
SB 1007 increases the number of days counties may seek reimbursement from municipalities for regional jail fees from one day to up to five days, if certain conditions are met. The city must have more than 4,000 residents. And the charge leading to incarceration could have been brought in municipal court but was brought in magistrate court.
Judiciary Chair Charles Trump, R-Morgan, said there are 31 such cities in the state.
This was the only bill to not pass unanimously. Sens. Laura Chapman, R-Ohio, and Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, voted against it.
Altogether, the Senate sent 37 bills to the House, the vast majority passed with no Senate committee consideration.
Over in the House, the Finance Committee met several times on Monday and sent bills to the House floor for evening consideration.
Among them, per the House blog:
- HB 122 and 123 allocate $12 million to the Department of Homeland Security for fire protection.
- House Bill 127, like SB 1027, transfers surplus funds of $150,000,000 to the State Road Fund for equipment and paving.
- House Bill 139 allocates $15,000,000 of unused allocations to the Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority for buildings.
- House Bill 129 allocates $25 million to the Economic Development Authority for the building of an airline hanger for the Pierpont Aviation Mechanic Program. This will allow for increased class sizes. Pierpont will rent the hanger from the EDA at a nominal rate then eventually pay a market rate.
- House Bill 104, for the Division of Corrections would allow for two bonus payments of $2,294 to non-uniformed employees, one at hire and one in March 2024.
Gov. Jim Justice announced the session on Sunday with only two hours’ notice, and 44 bills on the call. He posted a video on Twitter (now called X) supporting his agenda.
“Think about the need in our state for corrections and corrections officers,” he said, water and sewer projects, progress on roads, plus $500 million for either the Rainy Day Fund or the reserve fund for the income tax cut plan. “That is minding the store and doing it properly.”
Email: dbeard@dominionpost.com
