CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia lawmakers on Monday quickly approved funding for the state veterans home, a program to help children at risk of dropping out of school and other proposals after agreeing to a special session called by Republican Gov. Jim Justice .
The Republican Party-controlled Legislature postponed action on proposals for an income tax cut and a child-related tax credit until Sunday, when lawmakers were already set to return for midterm meetings.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted to bypass a rule that requires bills to be read three times on three separate days to greenlight the funding proposals, which now head to the governor’s desk.
The approved funding includes $1.2 million for the West Virginia Veterans Home in Barbourville and $10 million for Communities In Schools, a program that helps students from low-income families complete high school.
Lawmakers also approved $2 million for the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University in Morgantown. The money will support research into the use of ultrasound technology as a treatment for addiction and Alzheimer’s disease.
Among the proposals lawmakers postponed was a Justice Department measure to further reduce state income taxes. Justice, who is in his second term and running for Senate, has urged lawmakers to cut the state’s personal income tax by another 5% after signing a 21.25% tax cut last year. Income taxes are already expected to fall by another 4% in the new year, due to a trigger in the 2023 law that allows further tax cuts if the state receives higher-than-expected revenue receipts.
