Governor Jim Justice will call lawmakers back to the state Capitol starting Sept. 30 to discuss his ideas for a five percent tax cut and a state tax credit for some families who pay for child care.
The Republican governor announced the date on Monday, but did not include a list of specific bills that lawmakers could consider.
“We want to be extremely respectful to the legislature, but we also have to get things across the finish line,” he said in a Video announcement“I promised you that I would stand up for you and fight like crazy for you and try to get another 5% tax cut for you. And I promised you that I would try to help with child care and absolutely try to get our tax cut passed.”
Justice is running for a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Both proposals are likely to face close scrutiny in the Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives, where lawmakers – who were surprised by Justice’s initial announcement of a special session in September – have already expressed reservations about granting additional tax cuts or credits at this time.
House Finance Committee Chairman Del Vernon Criss said without knowing the details, he could not yet say whether the House would approve Justice’s bills.
“I can’t give you a clear yes or no, but we’ll see,” said Criss, R-Wood. “We don’t know what he’s planning – whether he’s going to give the system a one-time shock or a rebound like social security. We are interested.”
The Justice Department’s latest push for tax cuts comes Tax revenue in August were $398.1 million, $10.9 million below estimates.
“The reality is that we are behind on tax revenue this year and next year may be much worse,” said Del. John Williams (D-Monongalia), who added that he wants to see the governor’s proposals in detail.
“We want to help working families while continuing to put vital programs at risk. If we go down the income tax cut path, it must be heavily weighted toward middle-class families and retirees,” he continued.
Some lawmakers hope Justice’s call for a special session will put a broad focus on child care so that she can join other ongoing problems Incentive for the state Childcare DesertThe state needs at least 20,000 daycare places and dozens of providers have had to close this year for financial reasons.
One of the most glaring problems is at least one 34 million dollar funding gap for the federal child care subsidy program, which pays providers who care for children from low-income working families.
The Ministry of Human Services is currently using federal emergency aid funds to cover the deficit, which could expire before the end of the year and would result in children being removed from the program.
In his announcement, Justice mentioned only his plan for a child and dependent care tax credit, which would create a state tax credit equal to 50 percent of the allowable federal child and dependent care tax credit.
He said families in West Virginia pay $600 to $700 a month for child care.
For a family with an annual income of over $43,000, the tax credit is likely to be $300 for one child and $600 for two or more children.
Justice said he would also apply the special session to get lawmakers to approve additional funding, but did not name any projects.
Legislators passed a tight budget in March due to a possible repayment by the federal government of dollars. The budget draft then left more than $300 million unallocated.
“We need to get the money moving and get these projects moving,” Justice said. “I promise you I will stick it out to the finish line and work as hard as I can for the voters every day.”
Criss said he would like to see more money invested in water and wastewater projects because it is necessary for the state’s next generation to invest in these projects.
“There are houses without water,” he said. “It’s shameful.”
Criss also said money needs to be spent on the state’s highways and roads, noting that Justice made investing in the state’s roads a priority during his eight years as governor.
“If we have money available for these infrastructure projects, we have to do it,” he said. “This money has already brought us a lot.”
