The WV Future Fund...what might have been

 I’ve gotta admit that this article from Mountain StateSpotlight hit me like a bad flashback. In the early 2010s, I worked hard with some good people (you know who you are) to generate enthusiasm for this. The idea was to use a portion of WV’s severance taxes to create a permanent wealth fund. The principal would be untouchable, but the interest could be applied to meet public needs.

We roamed the state speaking to county commissions and local groups, wrote reports and op-eds, built coalitions in support of it. We found a champion in then senate president Jeff Kessler (D-Marshall), who made it a top priority. 

The bill made it across the finish line on the last day of the 2014 legislative session, but it was gutted (by Democrats) in the house. There were hopes of fixing it the next year, but the legislature flipped. The Republican supermajority put it to sleep in 2023.

If the original bill had passed, millions of dollars would be available for public education, infrastructure, flood resilience, and human needs. Every year. With no new taxes. Talk about the ones that got away…