Hillarysworld

timeswv.com

(emphasis added)

"

Tax plan gets support

By Tom Miller
PressNet Reporter

CHARLESTON — Gov. Joe Manchin’s 2010 legislative agenda begins with a proposed constitutional amendment to reduce personal property taxes by $150 million a year on business equipment and inventory that would require approval of a majority of the voters in the state at the November general election.

Only hours after the governor announced his intentions last Wednesday night, a joint resolution was introduced last Thursday morning in both the House of Delegates and State Senate to carry out that plan.

It will require a two-thirds vote of the members in both chambers to place the issue on the November ballot for a final decision by voters statewide.

House Speaker Richard Thompson, D-Wayne, said he doesn’t expect any problems in that chamber and House Finance Chairman Harry K. White, D-Mingo, said that since the lost tax revenue is mostly used by county school boards and local governments, he expects the Legislature to provide a way to make up those local revenue losses if state voters ratify the constitutional change.

Other key ingredients in the governor’s 2010 legislative program include:

• A public financing pilot program for candidates running for two 12-year terms on the State Supreme Court of Appeals in the 2012 election, one of the recommendations from a special commission appointed by the governor last year.

• Creation of a centralized office to handle the entire fleet of state vehicles because it is “time to set excuses aside and tackle this longstanding problem,” the governor told a packed crowd in the House of Delegates chamber.

• Increasing from six to 12 the number of officers working in Department of Public Safety’s Crimes Against Children Unit that has arrested some 1,400 sexual predators in its three-year existence. The governor also wants to add $1 million of state funds to the Save the Children organization and its efforts to help needy children in the state’s rural areas.

• Another attempt to make sure every one of the state’s 55 county boards of education provides 180 instructional days each school year.

• A new speedier parole system that he hopes will relieve the crowded conditions in state prisons by releasing non-violent offenders earlier than under the current system.

The governor’s recommended 2010-11 state budget of $4.29 billion, which he handed to the Senate President and House Speaker prior to his speech, contains no tax hikes, no new programs and no pay raise for state or public school employees.


More . . .

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LOL, only State where I hear of tax REDUCTION! 

The other news about public financing for State Supreme court two terms is of interest. This is the result of one of the lawsuits that had a recusal issue that got elevated to SCOTUS at the national level and a Supreme court justice was asked to step aside because of excessive influence from a campaign contributor - a coal company called Massey Energy (Richmond VA based company). Of course, it was more APPEARANCE of conflict rather than actual conflict. Supreme court further tightened recusal requirement on justices.  One of the story books of John Grisham had highlighted the  issue.. I recall this distinctly bec while we were in HillarysVillage, I had posted an article on this and then also read Grisham's book.  Anyway looks like the State had put together a local task force of some kind and they recommended to Gov. Joe Manchim - a really good guy from every thing I read about him - that public financing for 2 12-year terms for the state supreme court is the correct thing to do. I wonder if this is for supreme court only or for all court judges...

On a related matter, I went and read the State scroll. That Massey lawsuit did indeed get decided in late November 2009 on 4-1 decision in favor of the coal company.  Quite interesting. The dissenting opinion is very strong.  Having read the history... and followed the Supreme court case on recusal.. It is interesting to read these opinions. This one has been a real story book thing that I have followed this case for quite a while so when I read this budget thing, I was glad to see that perhaps the private interests may have less influence.. but I am not very hopeful of that.  Coal companies and Blankenship (owner of Massey) have a lot of influence in the Mountain State.  But it is true; why should judges have to run for election with private money or their own? It is not a political role. So, I am glad to see the solution that WV has come out with. I hope other states do the same.  And, I hope to read more on the WV state budget specifics.

State budget in all states is hopping at right now. Please keep your eyes peeled for new things coming down the pike. Every state seems to have something new right now... from casinos to horse barn improvement!! There is always a private interest!


This will go into voting in November... right along with a nice tax cut!  The tax cut will push thru all the other stuff in the budget.


-- Edited by Sanders on Wednesday 20th of January 2010 04:46:14 PM