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Right-To-Work, Budget Deadlock Shape West Virginia Session
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia is finishing a lawmaking session defined by a Republican agenda that sometimes shrugged off the Democratic governor.
Lawmakers also still could be months away from solving a budget stalemate fueled by downturns in coal and natural gas.
The 60-day election year session is expected to wrap up in Saturday’s late hours.
Lawmakers overrode four vetoes by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, including repeal of the state’s prevailing wage, a push to let people carry concealed guns without permits or training, and a ban on a second-trimester abortion method.
They still haven’t decided how to cover a $466 million budget gap. The standoff continues over whether to raise taxes, make more cuts or tap reserves to bridge about $130 million worth of disagreement between the House and Senate.