Gov. Joe Manchin isn't budging from his pay proposals for teachers and other public workers. He has released spending projections in a bid to silence advocates of higher raises and dissuade lawmakers from heeding them.
The Register-Herald of Beckley reports on a different approach to improving teacher pay, by allowing counties to devote more property tax revenue to their school systems. The Journal of Martinsburg has also previewed the expected bill, which I hope to tackle once it's introduced.
UPDATE: A colleague recommends this Daily Mail article from earlier in the week, which weighs state teacher salaries against the cost of living. Team Manchin also sought to provide this context with its recently released figures.
Lottery Director John Musgrave will resume his pitch to the House Finance Committee this morning, to follow up on questions raised Thursday about grabbing a larger share of potential racetrack table games proceeds for the state.
The Associated Press will provide a major overview of the table games issue Sunday, as this session's bill is expected to debut in the coming week.
The Charleston Gazette also reports on the dollar signs in Lottery's and lawmakers' eyes. Public Broadcasting, meanwhile, rounds out its week-long look at table games with its Outlook program, which will air again this morning and Sunday at noon. Its show The Legislature Today will host Senate Majority Leader Truman Chafin, D-Mingo, for its 6:30 p.m. call-in show this evening (1-800-672-9672).
Mine safety also remains an issue this session, with lawmakers pursuing measures beyond what Manchin has proposed in his legislative agenda. The AP's Tom Breen reports.
MetroNews follows up on tobacco tax proposals examined earlier by AP for Tobacco Free Day. And Talkline's Hoppy Kercheval previews what he predicts will be the high-profile abortion bill this session, a measure targeting Medicaid funding.
UPDATE: The Daily Mail today reports on campaign finance measures and future funding for both the popular Courtesy Patrol and state mapping board.
Also, Legislative Services offers its weekly wrap-up.
26 January 2007
The Legislature, Day 17 - Updated
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4 comments:
Query: what effect will the state supreme court's recent 3-2 decision invalidating legislative funding for libraries from local school funds have on teacher pay proposals that would create inequities in pay?
what is this public defender bill? Hb 2412.
Re: Library funding --
As I understand the ruling, it challenges the school aid formula while noting that the special library funding laws have been upheld by prior decisions. However, the Legislature could repeal those special laws so those counties would no longer be penalized by the aid formula statute.
I have not yet seen legislation that directly addresses library funding, but at least one expected bill would tinker with the aid formula to increase available local funds for teachers. That could certainly affect libraries as well.
I hope to have a story examining all this that would coincide with the Library Commission's budget presentation to the House Finance Committee early next month.
i think the same principle used to invalidate the library funding bills could call into question teacher salary disparities between counties.
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