The Finance Committee met this morning for budget hearings and to consider House Bill 4007.
House Bill 4007 adds approved industrial development sites to the Industrial Access Road Fund. The bill also increases the amount of matched and unmatched funds. The bill advanced from committee.
The Secretary of State provides its budget presentation. The office stated that FTEs have decreased over the past 10 years, but services have increased, and quality has been maintained. The One Stop Business Center portal continues to have success with online filings and increased partnerships. Newer partnerships include providing services through the WV Grants Resource Center and Small Business Development Centers. Business One Stop has locations in Charleston, Martinsburg, and Clarksburg.
For FY27, the goals of the WV Secretary of State are to continue to build resources for small businesses and entrepreneur support. The Office plans to continue modernizing campaign finance and voter registration systems. The office is working to update the Administrative Law Database for rule filing and the Investigations Division case system. Additionally, the office plans to expand statewide the “Cyber Navigator” election security program in partnership with Marshall University’s Institute for Cyber Security.
In the budget as introduced, there is a 2% decrease in the Secretary of State’s budget allocation. The office is requesting supplemental funding for employee compensation increases and benefits. The FY27 budget request for the Secretary of State is $8,716,936.
The Department of Transportation also provided its FY27 budget presentation to the House Finance Committee. The estimated revenue for the WV DOT is just around $1 million from registrations, sales (privilege tax), and motor fuel taxes. The federal reimbursement to the state is estimated at $929,175,000 in 2027, while the federal expenses are expected to be $975,000,000.
The Division of Motor Vehicles is requesting $77,531,606 from the State Road Fund for 2027. The Division of Highways is requesting $2,039,710,962 from the State Road Fund for 2027. The primary uses for the State Road Fund are debt services and obligated fixed costs, federal matching, maintenance and preservation, resurfacing and bridge programs, and equipment purchases and maintenance. The Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities is requesting $7,838,972 from the General Revenue Fund; $400,000 will be used for railroad maintenance.
The DOT has experienced cost increases due to inflation for steel, stone and aggregate, fuel, equipment, contractors and construction, buildings and grounds, and PEIA costs.
