1. United States
2. W.V.
3. Letter

It is my understanding that Governor Justice just announced a special legislative session set to start on September 30th to consider additional tax cuts. I’m all for giving our hard-working citizens a tax break when we can afford it, but only if we meet certain benchmarks related to budget surpluses. From what I’ve seen, legislative leaders and the State Department of Revenue aren’t convinced we’ve met those benchmarks yet. No matter what, any additional tax cuts should be targeted to working families and not the super wealthy. Unless budget surplus benchmarks are truly met, this push for an additional 5% cut smacks of an election-year bribe designed to earn votes for the Governor’s Senate campaign, rather than addressing the real challenges facing our state. West Virginia is facing a critical shortage of certified teachers in math, science, and special education. We also have the highest number of children in foster care per capita in the nation, and working families are struggling to find child care. As your constituent, I ask that you fund our essential services and don't mortgage West Virginia's future.