Legislature 2008: 2 Weeks & Counting

Wednesday marks the deadline for most bills to pass from their house of origin, and The Associated Press reviews Gov. Joe Manchin's legislative agenda in advance of that looming hurdle.

Most are moving. "Nine of the governor's bills have already beaten that deadline," AP reports. "Another 14 are slated for votes before Wednesday, including at least five on Monday."

But lawmakers have also expanded the scope or generosity of several proposals, increasing their cost:

• "Manchin's 3 percent pay raise request for teachers now offers hikes averaging 4.6 percent, as amended by the Senate Education Committee, increasing their annual cost by an estimated $17.4 million," the article said.

• The teacher pension bill would cost the state $78 million, as amended by the House. The Senate is weighing a sliding scale that would depend on how many teachers transfer between retirement programs.

• "Committees in both chambers have also tinkered with Manchin's bill to phase out a coalbed methane severance tax credit, reducing the resulting revenues in either case," the article said.

• Manchin officials are sill assessing the changes to other bills, include its update to the new combined reporting system. Meant to increase income tax collections from multi-state corporations, the measure has been amended by Senate Finance.

• Senate Finance "has also expanded the scope of a Manchin measure that would ask voters to amend the constitution for the lowering of certain property taxes," AP found
  

Though this may change Thursday, "only one (agenda bill) has been declared dead: Manchin's bid to keep PROMISE scholars in West Virginia once they graduate," AP notes. "Officials will instead study such topics as converting the merit-based scholarships into loans in certain cases, with a report due before 2009."