The WV JOBS ACT -
THE Solution for Jobs, Higher Wages and Prosperity.
The DC Republicans just introduced their JOBS Act for the nation. http://majorityleader.gov/JOBSAct/
It is time for the WV JOBS ACT -
THE Solution for Jobs, Higher Wages and Prosperity For ALL West Virginians.
A Comprehensive Package of Legislation (filed in the current WV Legislative Session and sitting in various committees and going NO WHERE blocked by committee chairmen controlled by special interests that like West Virginia the way it is).
Compiled and endorsed by several West Virginia Tea Party groups: North Central West Virginia Tea Party (Harrison County), We The People Hampshire County Tea Party (Hampshire County), Mason County Taxed Enough Already (Mason County), WV Patriots ( Randolph County), and Metro Valley Tea Party (Kanawha County).
Simplistic band-aid tax breaks to one business at a time, does not provide the jobs needed for the 20,000 West Virginians graduating each year to look for jobs. It does nothing to address the regulatory and judicial blockades causing businesses to avoid West Virginia like the plague. It does nothing to empower local business expansion or new startup businesses.
This jobs package will enact the recommendations of the “Think Tank” of WVU Professors, in their book: Unleashing Capitalism: Why Prosperity Stops at the West Virginia Border and How to Fix It. In 2008, this book received a Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award on freedom as the best think tank publication in the world. A Fisher Award judge remarked, “This book outlines the theoretical basis for a free market economy and to an unusually high degree succeeds in showing how these principles can be employed to explain the West Virginian predicament, as well as pointing to the concrete reform proposals in the book.”
Unleashing Capitalism was rewritten for South Carolina, who took the recommendations to heart, and is attracting hundreds of businesses like Boeing, with high paying jobs, to bring prosperity to all the citizens of their state.
If only part of this is passed, it might move West Virginia from 49th as a business friendly state to 34th.
Pass this package of legislation filed by our legislators to raise West Virginia to one of the top ten business destinations in America. West Virginia offering tax breaks to one out-of-state business at a time, is not the answer.
This comprehensive package of legislation is the solution for jobs, higher wages, and prosperity for ALL the citizens of West Virginia. To empower local business expansion; new startup businesses; and thousands of businesses knocking on the door to bring Jobs, Higher Wages, and Prosperity to ALL the citizens of West Virginia. It is past time to raise West Virginia to one of the top ten business destinations in the country. We have the road map. Use it.
HOW TO PAY FOR PROSPERITY: See the bottom of the article.
FREE THE MARKETS
Comprehensive Judicial Reforms. Comprehensive Regulation Reforms. Comprehensive Tax Reforms. Comprehensive Education Reforms.
Briefly, here are the bills (followed by a description and link to the WV Legislature web site).
To Free the Markets
Comprehensive Judicial Reforms
HB 3150, SB 91, HB 2488, HB 2287
Comprehensive Regulation Reforms
HB 4110, HB 2165, HB 2736, HB 2664
Comprehensive Tax Reforms
HB 2655, HB 2937, and yet to be filed: Inventory, machinery, and equipment tax relief bill.
Comprehensive Education Reform (to improve student achievement and empower Free Markets)
HB 2324, HB 2478, HB 3051, and yet to be filed: The Parental Choice Scholarship Program Act
WV Legislature web site: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bill_status.cfm entering the bill number will allow the complete legislation to be viewed
DESCRIPTIONS of the Bills
FREE MARKET LEGISLATION
Comprehensive Judicial Reforms
HB 3150 Authorizing a new court to be known as the Intermediate Court of Appeals (Armstead, Ellem, Pasdon, Sobonya, C. Miller, Lane, Householder, Savilla, Nelson, O’Neal and Storch).
The purpose of this bill is to create and provide structures and standards for a new Intermediate Court of Appeals.
SB 91 Allowing nonpartisan election of Supreme Court Justices (Jenkins and Sypolt).
The purpose of this bill is to allow Supreme Court Justices to be elected on a nonpartisan ballot.
HB 2488 Relating to the nonpartisan elections of justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and circuit court judges (Sobonya, Sumner, Miller, C., Rowan, Duke, Ellem).
The purpose of this billis to elect all justices to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and all circuit court judges on a nonpartisan basis.
HB 2287 Abolishing joint liability and establishing the principle of comparative fault (Armstead).
The purpose of this bill is to abolish joint liability and establish the principle of comparative fault by which each defendant is liable for damages according to the percentage of fault attributed by a judge or jury.
Comprehensive Regulation Reforms
HB 4110 Requiring agencies to review their legislative rules (Morgan, Stephens, Hall, Hartman, Householder, Howell, Nelson, Snuffer, Staggers and Swartzmiller).
The purpose of this bill is to require all agencies to review their rules, file certain reports, and address objections.
HB 2165 Prohibiting project labor agreements on state-funded construction contracts (Cowles, J. Miller and Overington).
The purpose of this bill is to prohibit project labor agreements on state-funded construction projects.
HB 2736 Exempting construction performed on behalf of educational authorities from prevailing wage requirements (Overington, Cowles, Miller, J., Andes, Carmichael).
The purpose of this bill is to exempt construction performed on behalf of any educational authority from the prevailing wage laws.
HB 2664 Verifying legal employment status of workers (Moye, Barker, Poling, M., Campbell, T., Poling, D.).
The purpose of this bill is to require all employers in West Virginia to verify legal employment status of workers by requiring employers to register with and utilize the electronic verification of work authorization program of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996, Public Law 104-208, Division C, Section 403(a); 8 U.S.C. Section 1324a, and operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, known as the E-Verify Program. The bill provides new definitions and also provides dates by which employers are to meet the verification requirements.
Comprehensive Tax Reforms
Tax Reform for West Virginians, not just out of state businesses, and not just big businesses.
Not just one business at a time for the Governor to be the “savior” but for all businesses to expand, creating 100's of thousands of new jobs not just 12,000 over 20 years with the cracker plant.
HB 2655 Abolishing the business and franchise tax (Armstead, Sobonya, Carmichael, Ireland, Andes, Sumner, Miller, C.).
The purpose of this bill is to abolish the business franchise tax effective July 1, 2012.
HB 2937 Reducing the corporation net income tax rate (Cowles, Hamilton, Andes, Howell, Pasdon, Ellington, Azinger, Storch and Ireland).
The purpose of this bill is to reduce the corporation net income tax rate to five and nine-tenths percent effective January 1, 2012.
Why not eliminate the tax and really make WV Business Friendly?
TO FILE
Inventory and Capital Equipment Tax Relief.
The purpose of this bill is to eliminate personal property tax on business inventory, machinery, and equipment.
Comprehensive Education Reforms
HB 2324 Special Needs Scholarship Program (J. Miller).
The purpose of this billis to create the Special Needs Scholarship Program to be administered by the West Virginia State Board of Education.
HB 2478 Charter Schools Act (J. Miller and Andes).
The purpose of this bill is to authorize the establishment of charter schools.
HB 3051 The Parent Empowerment and Choice Act (J. Miller).
The purpose of this billis to create a way for parents to petition a school district in order to convert a school into one of three possible models of school level reform. Charter school, Closure, Voucher.
TO FILE
The Parental Choice Scholarship Program Act
The purpose of this act is to create a scholarship program that provides all children the option to attend the public or private elementary or secondary school of their parents' choice.
CONSTITUTIONALLY LIMITED GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION
To return control to the states, These Tea Party groups support:
HB 2554 Intrastate Coal and Use Act (Howell, Canterbury, Miller, C., Sobonya, Ellem, Carmichael, Sumner, Duke, White, Phillips, R.)
and its Senate counter part
SB 97 (Sypolt)
The purpose of these bills is to create the Intrastate Coal and Use Act. The bill establishes that the environmental regulation of coal and certain coal products mined and used within the state are exclusively regulated by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. The bill states the legislative authority and defines terms.
TO FILE
The Interstate Healthcare Compact The purpose of this bill is to remove healthcare control from the Central Government and return it to the states.
This will allow WV to opt out of Obamacare. As long as the Democrats in the US Senate can filibuster, Obamacare can never be repealed but the states can render it ineffective with the Healthcare Compact. This is the power the states have to return control to the states, unconstitutionally usurped by the Federal Government. Do not allow Fear Mongering to prevent the elimination of Obamacare in West Virginia.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY LEGISLATION
For a consolidated, more efficient, smaller government, these Tea Party groups support:
SB 219 Consolidating administration and enforcement of motor carrier industry ( Beach, Klempa)
and the House of Delegates counterpart
HB 4103 (Staggers, L. Phillips, Barker, Ferro, Guthrie and Cowles).
The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Division of Motor Vehicles to take a lead role to plan and coordinate the consolidation of government services and enforcement of laws currently administered by various state agencies pertaining to the motor carrier industry. The bill requires:
(1) All affected agencies to cooperate, aid and assist the division in implementation of the consolidation;
(2) The division to solicit experience and expertise and address concerns of the affected agencies in the development of the plan of consolidation; and
(3) The division to report to the Legislature a plan to consolidate and recommended legislation.
NOTE: Add to this bill an analysis of cost savings identifying the elimination of duplication and waste.
HOW TO PAY FOR PROSPERITY
The projections for future jobs and revenue growth presented by Governor Tomblin for the “cracker plant” point out, reducing taxes to businesses is worthwhile. The jobs for the people and future tax revenues created by the resulting economic boost demand that West Virginia become a top ten business destination. The recommendations in Unleashing Capitalism, puts it all together for prosperity.
How to pay for the lost revenue and increased expenses in order to maintain government services.
TO FILE
The Jobs Prosperity Bond Bill.
The purpose of this bill is to create a bond(s) to allow an annual transitional revenue flow to state, county, and local governments due to reduced revenue and/or increased expenses. Just as the $5 billion unfunded teacher healthcare liabilities is being funded by $35 million per year for 40 years, so too can this bond be similarly funded to put West Virginia in the top 10 in business destinations,
and/or
Using part or all of the severance tax and fees from natural gas drilling and extraction to fill the temporary gap. Thus taxes will not go up, services will not be interrupted and well over 100,000 jobs will easily be created in West Virginia, with future continued growth guaranteed. Our children, who left to find good paying jobs, will be able to come home.
The professors at WVU have given West Virginians the road map to prosperity in Unleashing Capitalism.
If only part of this is passed, it might move West Virginia from 49th as a business friendly state to 34th.
Pass this package of legislation filed by our legislators to raise West Virginia to one of the top ten business destinations in America.
Stephen McElroy
It is time for the WV JOBS ACT -
THE Solution for Jobs, Higher Wages and Prosperity For ALL West Virginians.
A Comprehensive Package of Legislation (filed in the current WV Legislative Session and sitting in various committees and going NO WHERE blocked by committee chairmen controlled by special interests that like West Virginia the way it is).
Compiled and endorsed by several West Virginia Tea Party groups: North Central West Virginia Tea Party (Harrison County), We The People Hampshire County Tea Party (Hampshire County), Mason County Taxed Enough Already (Mason County), WV Patriots ( Randolph County), and Metro Valley Tea Party (Kanawha County).
Simplistic band-aid tax breaks to one business at a time, does not provide the jobs needed for the 20,000 West Virginians graduating each year to look for jobs. It does nothing to address the regulatory and judicial blockades causing businesses to avoid West Virginia like the plague. It does nothing to empower local business expansion or new startup businesses.
This jobs package will enact the recommendations of the “Think Tank” of WVU Professors, in their book: Unleashing Capitalism: Why Prosperity Stops at the West Virginia Border and How to Fix It. In 2008, this book received a Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award on freedom as the best think tank publication in the world. A Fisher Award judge remarked, “This book outlines the theoretical basis for a free market economy and to an unusually high degree succeeds in showing how these principles can be employed to explain the West Virginian predicament, as well as pointing to the concrete reform proposals in the book.”
Unleashing Capitalism was rewritten for South Carolina, who took the recommendations to heart, and is attracting hundreds of businesses like Boeing, with high paying jobs, to bring prosperity to all the citizens of their state.
If only part of this is passed, it might move West Virginia from 49th as a business friendly state to 34th.
Pass this package of legislation filed by our legislators to raise West Virginia to one of the top ten business destinations in America. West Virginia offering tax breaks to one out-of-state business at a time, is not the answer.
This comprehensive package of legislation is the solution for jobs, higher wages, and prosperity for ALL the citizens of West Virginia. To empower local business expansion; new startup businesses; and thousands of businesses knocking on the door to bring Jobs, Higher Wages, and Prosperity to ALL the citizens of West Virginia. It is past time to raise West Virginia to one of the top ten business destinations in the country. We have the road map. Use it.
HOW TO PAY FOR PROSPERITY: See the bottom of the article.
FREE THE MARKETS
Comprehensive Judicial Reforms. Comprehensive Regulation Reforms. Comprehensive Tax Reforms. Comprehensive Education Reforms.
Briefly, here are the bills (followed by a description and link to the WV Legislature web site).
To Free the Markets
Comprehensive Judicial Reforms
HB 3150, SB 91, HB 2488, HB 2287
Comprehensive Regulation Reforms
HB 4110, HB 2165, HB 2736, HB 2664
Comprehensive Tax Reforms
HB 2655, HB 2937, and yet to be filed: Inventory, machinery, and equipment tax relief bill.
Comprehensive Education Reform (to improve student achievement and empower Free Markets)
HB 2324, HB 2478, HB 3051, and yet to be filed: The Parental Choice Scholarship Program Act
WV Legislature web site: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bill_status.cfm entering the bill number will allow the complete legislation to be viewed
DESCRIPTIONS of the Bills
FREE MARKET LEGISLATION
Comprehensive Judicial Reforms
HB 3150 Authorizing a new court to be known as the Intermediate Court of Appeals (Armstead, Ellem, Pasdon, Sobonya, C. Miller, Lane, Householder, Savilla, Nelson, O’Neal and Storch).
The purpose of this bill is to create and provide structures and standards for a new Intermediate Court of Appeals.
SB 91 Allowing nonpartisan election of Supreme Court Justices (Jenkins and Sypolt).
The purpose of this bill is to allow Supreme Court Justices to be elected on a nonpartisan ballot.
HB 2488 Relating to the nonpartisan elections of justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and circuit court judges (Sobonya, Sumner, Miller, C., Rowan, Duke, Ellem).
The purpose of this billis to elect all justices to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and all circuit court judges on a nonpartisan basis.
HB 2287 Abolishing joint liability and establishing the principle of comparative fault (Armstead).
The purpose of this bill is to abolish joint liability and establish the principle of comparative fault by which each defendant is liable for damages according to the percentage of fault attributed by a judge or jury.
Comprehensive Regulation Reforms
HB 4110 Requiring agencies to review their legislative rules (Morgan, Stephens, Hall, Hartman, Householder, Howell, Nelson, Snuffer, Staggers and Swartzmiller).
The purpose of this bill is to require all agencies to review their rules, file certain reports, and address objections.
HB 2165 Prohibiting project labor agreements on state-funded construction contracts (Cowles, J. Miller and Overington).
The purpose of this bill is to prohibit project labor agreements on state-funded construction projects.
HB 2736 Exempting construction performed on behalf of educational authorities from prevailing wage requirements (Overington, Cowles, Miller, J., Andes, Carmichael).
The purpose of this bill is to exempt construction performed on behalf of any educational authority from the prevailing wage laws.
HB 2664 Verifying legal employment status of workers (Moye, Barker, Poling, M., Campbell, T., Poling, D.).
The purpose of this bill is to require all employers in West Virginia to verify legal employment status of workers by requiring employers to register with and utilize the electronic verification of work authorization program of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996, Public Law 104-208, Division C, Section 403(a); 8 U.S.C. Section 1324a, and operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, known as the E-Verify Program. The bill provides new definitions and also provides dates by which employers are to meet the verification requirements.
Comprehensive Tax Reforms
Tax Reform for West Virginians, not just out of state businesses, and not just big businesses.
Not just one business at a time for the Governor to be the “savior” but for all businesses to expand, creating 100's of thousands of new jobs not just 12,000 over 20 years with the cracker plant.
HB 2655 Abolishing the business and franchise tax (Armstead, Sobonya, Carmichael, Ireland, Andes, Sumner, Miller, C.).
The purpose of this bill is to abolish the business franchise tax effective July 1, 2012.
HB 2937 Reducing the corporation net income tax rate (Cowles, Hamilton, Andes, Howell, Pasdon, Ellington, Azinger, Storch and Ireland).
The purpose of this bill is to reduce the corporation net income tax rate to five and nine-tenths percent effective January 1, 2012.
Why not eliminate the tax and really make WV Business Friendly?
TO FILE
Inventory and Capital Equipment Tax Relief.
The purpose of this bill is to eliminate personal property tax on business inventory, machinery, and equipment.
Comprehensive Education Reforms
HB 2324 Special Needs Scholarship Program (J. Miller).
The purpose of this billis to create the Special Needs Scholarship Program to be administered by the West Virginia State Board of Education.
HB 2478 Charter Schools Act (J. Miller and Andes).
The purpose of this bill is to authorize the establishment of charter schools.
HB 3051 The Parent Empowerment and Choice Act (J. Miller).
The purpose of this billis to create a way for parents to petition a school district in order to convert a school into one of three possible models of school level reform. Charter school, Closure, Voucher.
TO FILE
The Parental Choice Scholarship Program Act
The purpose of this act is to create a scholarship program that provides all children the option to attend the public or private elementary or secondary school of their parents' choice.
CONSTITUTIONALLY LIMITED GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION
To return control to the states, These Tea Party groups support:
HB 2554 Intrastate Coal and Use Act (Howell, Canterbury, Miller, C., Sobonya, Ellem, Carmichael, Sumner, Duke, White, Phillips, R.)
and its Senate counter part
SB 97 (Sypolt)
The purpose of these bills is to create the Intrastate Coal and Use Act. The bill establishes that the environmental regulation of coal and certain coal products mined and used within the state are exclusively regulated by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. The bill states the legislative authority and defines terms.
TO FILE
The Interstate Healthcare Compact The purpose of this bill is to remove healthcare control from the Central Government and return it to the states.
This will allow WV to opt out of Obamacare. As long as the Democrats in the US Senate can filibuster, Obamacare can never be repealed but the states can render it ineffective with the Healthcare Compact. This is the power the states have to return control to the states, unconstitutionally usurped by the Federal Government. Do not allow Fear Mongering to prevent the elimination of Obamacare in West Virginia.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY LEGISLATION
For a consolidated, more efficient, smaller government, these Tea Party groups support:
SB 219 Consolidating administration and enforcement of motor carrier industry ( Beach, Klempa)
and the House of Delegates counterpart
HB 4103 (Staggers, L. Phillips, Barker, Ferro, Guthrie and Cowles).
The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Division of Motor Vehicles to take a lead role to plan and coordinate the consolidation of government services and enforcement of laws currently administered by various state agencies pertaining to the motor carrier industry. The bill requires:
(1) All affected agencies to cooperate, aid and assist the division in implementation of the consolidation;
(2) The division to solicit experience and expertise and address concerns of the affected agencies in the development of the plan of consolidation; and
(3) The division to report to the Legislature a plan to consolidate and recommended legislation.
NOTE: Add to this bill an analysis of cost savings identifying the elimination of duplication and waste.
HOW TO PAY FOR PROSPERITY
The projections for future jobs and revenue growth presented by Governor Tomblin for the “cracker plant” point out, reducing taxes to businesses is worthwhile. The jobs for the people and future tax revenues created by the resulting economic boost demand that West Virginia become a top ten business destination. The recommendations in Unleashing Capitalism, puts it all together for prosperity.
How to pay for the lost revenue and increased expenses in order to maintain government services.
TO FILE
The Jobs Prosperity Bond Bill.
The purpose of this bill is to create a bond(s) to allow an annual transitional revenue flow to state, county, and local governments due to reduced revenue and/or increased expenses. Just as the $5 billion unfunded teacher healthcare liabilities is being funded by $35 million per year for 40 years, so too can this bond be similarly funded to put West Virginia in the top 10 in business destinations,
and/or
Using part or all of the severance tax and fees from natural gas drilling and extraction to fill the temporary gap. Thus taxes will not go up, services will not be interrupted and well over 100,000 jobs will easily be created in West Virginia, with future continued growth guaranteed. Our children, who left to find good paying jobs, will be able to come home.
The professors at WVU have given West Virginians the road map to prosperity in Unleashing Capitalism.
If only part of this is passed, it might move West Virginia from 49th as a business friendly state to 34th.
Pass this package of legislation filed by our legislators to raise West Virginia to one of the top ten business destinations in America.
Stephen McElroy
