Life is…busy…in the back pew. But as always, it’s a priority for me to keep you updated on important things happening in our state! Here’s the latest rundown.
BUDGET SURPLUS. With one month to go in the fiscal year, our state has a $1.1 billion surplus. (Many states are experiencing surpluses, largely due to an influx of federal dollars. For example, Virginia has a $14 billion surplus currently.) What will we do with our surplus? That is the billion-dollar question. I support a mix of infrastructure investments and immediate tax relief for citizens suffering from sky-high inflation. The supermajority has yet to unveil their plans.
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION Speaking of inflation, school construction costs are going through the roof right now. Nowhere is this seen more clearly than Nicholas County. Two proposed flood rebuilds in Richwood and Summersville are way over budget. But they are not alone. All of the other counties I represent (Fayette, Greenbrier, Monroe, & Summers) are dealing with this problem also. After numerous meetings with architects, contractors, and state government offices, I don’t see school construction prices coming back down much even when inflation settles. This is the new normal. The state and county school systems will need to work together to fully fund our school buildings. Making major cuts to the buildings in order to save pennies on the dollar right now is unwise in the long-term.
SPECIAL SESSION Expect another special session of the legislature in July or possibly as late as September. It will deal with the budget surplus, infrastructure project funding, more rehashes of bills from the last session, and abortion laws. With the US Supreme Court expected to rule on Roe vs Wade this summer, we are hearing that the supermajority plans to add it to the special session since a rollback of Roe would leave abortion policy exclusively to states. Stay tuned.
COLLINS AEROSPACE The largest private employer in Monroe County is the Collins Aerospace plant outside Union, WV. They make commercial and military aerospace components. It’s technical, sometimes dangerous, and vitally important work done by the local residents. Over the years, the relationship between the plant and the community has been mutually beneficial. The jobs pay well and the workers provide an excellent product for the international market. Both parties are at a critical stage now after workers were locked out last week by Collins due to a labor dispute. The workers deserve a fair contract. The plant is critical to our local economy. The products made at Collins protect national security. It’s in everyone’s best interest to arrive at a fair agreement as soon as possible. I was honored to visit with the workers last week and put their leadership in touch with state resources to assist their families while they cannot draw a paycheck.
FOSTER CARE DASHBOARD On June 1, the DHHR debuted an online foster care dashboard. For the first time, it contains public information about how many children are in foster care, what type of placement they have, in-state versus out-of-state placements, vacancy rates in county Child Protective Services offices, and more. This may seem like a small thing, but it’s a huge step forward that’s taken years of work. It was in the foster care bill that died this past legislative session, but we finally got it done. It will allow us to have solid information for the very first time on the foster care situation, which will allow us the opportunity to make better policy to serve children in foster care. It can be found on the WV DHHR website.
CALENDAR Several folks suggested recently that I make my calendar of public events available. With five counties, I spend a lot of time on the road traveling across the state and district. This way, folks would know when I’ll be in their neck of the woods. I’ll start making that available on my Facebook page. Look forward to seeing you in your neighborhood!
That’s the view from the back pew, where it is my privilege to serve you.
