The Joint Finance Committee met on November 13, 2023, in Wheeling for its interim meeting.

The Committee heard from the Department of Revenue. The State’s revenue and debt has been reviewed by rating agencies. The feedback was positive with a rainy-day fund of $1.2 billion, an almost fully funded public employee retirement system, and the teacher’s retirement system being funded at almost 75 percent. The state’s workers’ comp debt is retired with the account having a balance of $7 million.

The rating agencies are interested in the state’s income tax reduction plan, economic development achievements, and tourism achievements. The state’s economy is diversifying. Currently, only 2.9 percent of WV’s economy is coal and timber; meaning over 90 percent of the state’s economy comes from other drivers.

The City Manager of Weirton presented on the area’s economic development. Economically, Weirton is doing well. He called Weirton the Holy trinity of logistics: road, river, and rail.

Three Springs Drive, an area that was previously a closed K-Mart and Walmart, has seen development and business expansion. The area brought in national and regional chains, as well as local suppliers. Forty new businesses have moved to Three Springs Drive, including coffee shops, restaurants, dress shops, and tech companies.

The Park Drive Project Development is also underway in Weirton. Improvements to infrastructure, including utilities, paving, and a large community green space are attracting retail and residential development. There is a possibility of a conference center being developed on Park Drive.

The City Manager spoke of Weirton Steel, remembering when it was the state’s largest employer and how the company built the city. Weirton Steel went all over the world and when discussions of the plant closing began, the city struggled. Now, the Weirton Frontier Crossing development will be built on the site where Weirton Steel resided not so long ago. Form Energy’s development has started. A $750 million investment which is tied to 750 jobs. The plant is expected to begin operation in 2024. Annually, the plant is expected to contribute over $155 million to the state’s economy.

The Brooke County Commissioner spoke of investments in the area. In the last several years, 305 jobs have been created with a total of $138,814,597 being invested in area businesses from public and private investors. The Beach Bottom Industrial Park was abandoned in 2012. It is 120 acres of developable property. The county applied for grants to remediate the land. The former brownfield is now home to Jupiter Aluminum, BISCO Refractories, Pure Watercraft, and Tenaris.

Brooke County’s revenue is increasing, and its commission is making improvements to government properties. The County is developing a Judicial Center, a 911 Centralized Dispatch Center, a new EMS Station, and upgrading ambulances.

The final presenter spoke of Economic Developments across the state. He said when WV wins, we all win. Economic Momentum can be seen all across the state, including Wheeling Streetscape, WVU Medicine – Regional Cancer Center in Wheeling, Marshall University – West Liberty University Flight School Plans, Thirumalai Chemical Plants in Marshall County, Ohio Valley Industrial and Business Development Corporation, High Caliber Shooting Range Experience at The Highlands, Nucor in Mason, and Form Energy in Weirton.

Ben Beakes, executive director of of the West Virginia Association of Health Plans addressed members of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Sunday afternoon during traveling interim meetings in Wheeling, WV. Interim meetings in the northern panhandle city run through Tuesday afternoon.

Beakes told lawmakers that the number of Medicaid-approved beds available for drug treatment in the state has increased from 648 in July 2019, to 1,610 today. He also described how health plan providers currently want to choose which facilities they will reimburse for based on the care provided and the outcomes of those patients.

John Antal, director of clinical services for Orchard Park Hospital in Wheeling, and Jacquelyn Knight, hospital CEO, described their recently opened facility that provides inpatient acute psychiatric care to adolescents.

They informed the committee that since opening in late September, they have averaged roughly five youths a day at the facility, with as many as eight at one time. Those admitted are considered suicidal or homicidal, capable of harming themselves or others. Antal and Knight described the vital need to treat these youths early, before the mental health issues become extreme.

Dr. Dan Joseph, a Wheeling-area orthodontist, asked lawmakers to help patients who choose not to go to orthodontists for care, and who instead opt for clear aligners without the supervision of a professional. Joseph told lawmakers these people need at least one examination and set of X-rays before starting treatment or major dental issues could result.

Joseph described how these companies operate. There is an impression of a patient’s teeth taken at home with no consideration of oral health, often resulting in a myriad of complications, according to Joseph. He reported seeing teeth “pushed through the bone” as well as other dental problems. Joseph told lawmakers that the best orthodontic treatment comes from formulating a diagnosis, taking appropriate measurements and working in tandem with the patient’s dentist.

Joseph asked lawmakers to consider legislation requiring those desiring to use clear aligners to first have an in-office exam with an orthodontist to assess their oral health and give a diagnosis. These sessions are typically provided for free. It would be a simple screening to assess if the patient was a good candidate for clear aligners.

Joseph praised lawmakers for offering teledentisry and telemedicine, saying those programs have done great things for the citizens of West Virginia.

West Virginia lawmakers discussed the state’s vaccine requirements and exemptions with medical experts during Tuesday’s meeting of the West Virginia Legislature’s Joint Committee on Children and Families.

West Virginia is currently one of five states that allows only medical exemptions — not religious or philosophical — for mandated school vaccines.

Shannon Kolman, senior policy specialist in the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Health Program, told lawmakers that vaccinations are required when a child is enrolled in a public school. In West Virginia, a parent or guardian is able to apply for a medical exemption through a physician.

State Epidemiologist Shannon McBee told members of the committee that the state Bureau of Public Health has received 198 requests for medical vaccine requirement exemptions over the past five years. The requests are sent by a child’s physician. McBee said about 75 percent of those exemptions have been approved.

McBee also noted that the state has not offered “reciprocity” to residents from other states who have gotten exemptions for vaccination mandates and then moved to West Virginia.

“West Virginia is considered to have an exemplary immunization model with no recorded outbreaks of measles,” McBee said. “The most common requests that are approved by the Bureau for Public Health are for children who have immunosuppressive medications or have a documented severe reaction to a vaccine or are the recipient of an organ transplant.”

Senator Rollan Roberts (R-Raleigh, 09) objected to the lack of reciprocity.

“So we are telling people from other states don’t come into West Virginia?” Roberts said.

Dr. Joseph Evans, former chief medical officer of Marshall Health and former chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Marshall University, told members that the World Health Organization has identified vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health.

Evans echoed McBee’s statements, pointing to the state’s strict vaccine laws when touting West Virginia’s high vaccination rate in school-age children, and for the lack of outbreaks in vaccine-preventable illnesses. He noted that the state has not had a measles case for instance, since 2009. He also mentioned that nationally, the school vaccination rate has declined among school children since COVID, but West Virginia’s has been higher.

“Thanks to our vaccine laws, our state is among the best and safest from vaccine-preventable illness,” Evans said. “We are a model for other states trying to decrease vaccine-preventable diseases. We need to keep our vaccine laws. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”

Several lawmakers disagreed with that sentiment throughout the meeting, questioning the efficacy of the vaccine as well as advocating for freedom of choice with regard to every vaccine.

Committee Chairman Mark Hunt (R-Kanawha, 08) ended the meeting by announcing that this would not be the last discussion the Legislature has regarding the state’s vaccine laws.

State Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston assured lawmakers during interim meetings Tuesday at the Capitol that the Division of Highways is continuing to “plan their work and work their plan.”

Wriston touted his agency’s accomplishments while emphasizing that the catalyst for them is a return to to the agency’s core mission as a maintenance organization. He noted that there is a maintenance plan in every highway district in the state, plans are available to be viewed online, and the agency has hit its goals of near 100 percent completion in each district.

Wriston noted that his agency is always mindful of being responsive to the public because that is who they serve. To that end, he told the committee that mowing along secondary roads has become a top priority because it was the number one complaint in recent months. Beginning in 2024 the agency plans to purchase a large brush mower for each district and assign one person the duty of mowing nothing but secondary roads full-time.

Wriston mentioned that canopy trimming of overhanging trees has become a priority in recent years as trimming back trees goes hand in hand with making mowing and road maintenance easier.

The Joint Committee on Government and Finance met this afternoon and received an update on broadband in the state and an overview of general revenue.

Currently, there are five broadband projects under construction with two projects completed. Seven more projects will start construction by the end of the year. The total number of address passed is at 1,500. Currently, there are 1,300 targeted addresses, which have no broadband. With passing addresses included, the total number served is 2,000 addresses. You can view the ARPA Broadband project on the dashboard.

Revenue reported that at the end of the state’s first quarter, personal income tax revenue was equal to the number this time last year. This is impressive because of the income tax cut. Severance tax numbers are low because the price of production is low. Production numbers are up but the price is low. Severance tax revenue is down 73.4 percent from a year ago. Total revenues are down 7.1 percent, but considering the tax cut this percentage isn’t too low. October revenue is almost flat with the state being a couple of million under budget. The 2024 tax cut will be the property tax refunds. In 2025, the trigger formula will be put in place. The 2024 general revenue without severance tax will be compared to the 2019 general revenue without severance tax, adjusted for inflation to determine if there will be another tax cut. If there is growth in revenue, then there can be a cut of up to 10 percent. The department is in the process of constructing the Governor’s FY2025 budget and plans to have it ready by mid-December.

The Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Resources Accountability met this morning to hear presentations on fatality and mortality review team reports, death records, and the DHHR reorganization.

The fatality and mortality review team is on track to meet the deadline for reports. The medical examiner’s office does have several vacancies for full-time forensic analysts, which causes delays with autopsies performance and death certificate paperwork. Currently, there are 308 autopsy cases pending that are greater than a year old. Of the 308, 46 are unidentified, so 262 cases have families waiting for autopsy completion. It was stated that the facility isn’t adequate for the current number of cases. Currently, the office is staffed with several part-time employees which is the equivalent of six full-time employees. The office is funded for eight positions but would need at least 13 to be adequate.

The Database for Vital Events (DAVE) went active on January 1, 2022. The new system was an overwhelming success with 76 percent of all records being registered electronically. As of 2023, 100 percent of records are registered electronically with 80 being completed within 10 days. West Virginia is tied for fifth in the country with the lowest turnaround for registration. Currently, the average turnaround is 11 days.

The brief updates on the reorganization of the new DHHR departments including an update on the child welfare transformation. The Department of Human Services is working to prevent children from being involved in the child welfare system. To do this, many Bureaus within the department are proactively working together to provide home and community services, family assistance, school mental health programs, wraparound services, medical services, drug control outreach and education, family preservation, and reunification.

The department is working to recruit, hire, train, support, and retain its workforce. To do this, the department is working to reduce caseload size and organizational red tape, in addition to providing resources employees need and better compensation. The department is working with other partners to help its workforce.

Currently, there are 6,186 children in state custody; 58 percent are placed in kinship care within WV, 24 percent are in out-of-state kinship care, and 27 percent are in foster care. In 2021, 1,856 children were adopted with 2,454 waiting for adoption. In Fiscal Year 2023, 1,443 children were adopted with 1,156 still eligible for adoption.

The department is working to enhance children’s lives, support those caring for children, help care workers do their jobs efficiently and safely, help communities support families and children, and prevent abuse and neglect.

The department hopes to have a childcare summit in a couple of months.