Day 47: Lawmakers have reached a deal on tax cuts

But a Farmer's Daughter hamburger seemed more important than following the Legislature this weekend

Good morning and welcome back to 60 Days.

Today is SUNDAY, February 26th, 2023 — the 47th day of the West Virginia Legislature’s regular session.

This morning’s newsletter is coming to you, grudgingly, from Martinsburg, the heart of West Virginia’s Apple Country.

I say grudgingly because I took the weekend off from my newscasting gig at NPR to celebrate my wife’s birthday — only to run the risk of drawing her ire by working on this newsletter. State lawmakers decided it would be a good idea to put in a little overtime this weekend.

At first, I planned to just ignore them and catch you up on their weekend of legislating on Monday. But then they announced the tax cut compromise on Saturday, a major issue that has eluded the Republican majority for years and has been an open question ever since Gov. Jim Justice used his State of the State address last month to propose a 50% cut in the personal income tax over three years.

I was enjoying my wife’s company in the small Hardy County town of Wardensville when I made the mistake of checking my Twitter feed. I had just bought a cup of coffee (you can buy us one here) and may have snorted some of it after I saw a series of tweets from Gov. Justice applauding the legislature for striking the deal and saying it “puts us on a pathway toward the complete elimination of our personal income tax.” He called it “a win-win for all West Virginians.”

Governor Jim Justice @WVGovernor

I am extremely happy that after weeks of negotiations with all parties we’ve been able to reach a deal with the House and Senate that will be the largest tax cut in West Virginia history.

I probably shouldn’t be bitter at being forced to work. We knew a deal was coming. It seemed obvious after discovering Friday night that the House bill that’s being used as the vehicle for the compromise would be on the Senate Finance Committee’s agenda for Saturday.

This deal was negotiated largely behind closed doors. And WVMetroNews is reporting that the Finance panel approved it with little discussion during a brief Saturday meeting:

The Senate Finance Committee introduced the concept and approved the bill at a Saturday afternoon committee meeting that lasted only a few minutes. There was no discussion of an overall revenue impact, although a statement by the governor characterized it as $750 million.

You can read the full WVMetroNews story here:

• Senate passes a 21 percent income tax cut with more reductions possible in the future

Here’s another take on Saturday’s events from the Wheeling Intelligencer newspaper.

• W.Va. Senate approves compromise on tax reform plan | The Intelligencer

---

The tax cut package cleared the Senate so fast because Republican leaders aren’t shy about suspending constitutional rules the require bills be read on three consecutive days. But the bill still must pass the House before it reaches the Governor’s desk.

I guess I’m saying there’s plenty of time to weigh the pros and cons as the regular session moves forward. Time with my wife on her birthday is another matter.

I usually work weekends in the NPR newsroom, so a Saturday off is kind of a big deal for us. And to celebrate her birthday, we decided to drive over to the small Hampshire County hamlet of Capon Bridge and treat ourselves to a Farmer’s Daughter hamburger.

Customers waiting for their burgers at the Farmer’s Daughter Butcher Shop in Capon Bridge, WV on February 25th, 2023

Pretty sure Dave will back me up on this. After all, he’s made his own pilgrimage to the little Farmer’s Daughter Butcher Shop, where the seating is limited but the hamburgers are heaven on a bun. There is no better burger anywhere. I’m not going to argue about this, but if you want to tell us about your favorite burger joint, I won’t stop you.

Thing is, before Saturday, my wife had never had Farmer’s Daughter burger. Now she is a believer. It was my birthday gift to her.

I’m THAT good of a husband.

Aside from the burgers, I like small towns like Capon Bridge and Wardensville, where I snorted my coffee while browsing through the Lost River Trading Post. The pace is noticeably slower, and the people are unfailingly kind. The stress of my commute to Washington, D.C. and my workday life melts away. I can actually feel my blood pressure improving.

But here’s the thing — if find yourself heading to an out of the way place because you heard the hamburgers are to die for, don’t do what I did.

Just stay off Twitter.

Your blood pressure will thank you.

---

A reader got in touch yesterday morning to offer encouragement for our efforts here at 60 Days, but also expressed disappointment that we didn’t mention that the Public Employees Insurance Agency bill was on third reading in the Senate this weekend.

I agreed with her. It was an oversight that deserves correction. The following link will tell you where things stand.

• Senate Moves Budget, PEIA, Pay Raises In Saturday Session - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

---

Lawmakers have the day off today, but they’ll be back under the dome in Charleston on Monday. And with “Crossover Day” looming this week, be on the lookout for the three-days-three-floor-readings rule to be suspended at least a time or two more. That’s so legislators can get bills passed by their house of origin by the end of Wednesday in order to keep them in play.

If there’s something you think we should know about — or maybe you just want to say hello, you can simply reply to this email or hit the comment button.

I’m on Twitter @GilesSnyder and Dave can be found @davemistich.