Justice: Special Session For Budget Needs Reform
Press Release
After the Republican-led legislature wasted $595,000 during the special session on the budget, businessman Jim Justice called for reforms to avoid another expensive and drawn-out process in the future. This year the West Virginia legislature billed taxpayers $35,000 a day during the special session for the budget.
Justice wants to limit lawmaker pay to a total of 5 work days for any special session dealing with the budget and ban all fundraising while the legislature is in session. If it takes longer than 5 days to pass a budget during a special session, the lawmakers will not get paid for the extra time it takes.
"I am too impatient to watch the politicians bicker for months and months and see nothing get done," said businessman Jim Justice. "The budget mess in Charleston proves that we need to impose a tighter timeline on the legislature because they wasted too much money and created uncertainty for our families. On the farm, I've put in many 18-hour days, and I think lawmakers should do the same."
Justice has called for a series of ethics reforms, including banning fundraising while the legislature is in session so lobbyists and associations that represent various industries can't be extorted for campaign cash.
Justice added,"No politician should be fundraising instead of doing the job they were elected to do."
Bill Cole and the Republican leadership wasted $595,000 during the recent special session on the budget. Here's what that means for West Virginia families:
125 additional PROMISE scholarships that could have helped WV students (Register-Herald, 5.15.16)
18,593 more potholes could have been fixed (WCHS, 5.23.16)
18 new teachers could have been added (Preston County News & Journal, 10.9.15)
14 new state troopers could have been hired (West Virginia State Police)
87 students could have had a full year of tuition covered at Marshall University (Marshall.edu)
19 students could have attended West Virginia University for four years(WVU.edu)
26 corrections officers could have been hired (Metro News 6.26.15)
396 addicts could have been treated in a recovery program for one month (WCHS, 5.23.16)
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