MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — During the several hours the House of Delegates debated a tobacco tax increase, two Monongalia County representatives took to the floor miles apart in their thoughts on the suggestion before them to raise revenue.
“I think we have some philosophical disagreements in this house,” pointed out Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer (D-Monongalia).
She was adamant before the Tuesday vote that she would not support the 45 cent tobacco tax increase per pack of cigarettes that has been projected to bring in more than $70 million.
A $270 million dollar state budget hole is predicted.
“Forty-five cents does not touch that at all. It is a Band-Aid, a temporary fix. We are kicking the can down the road, I think for election reasons,” Fleischauer said before her colleagues.
She was one of the 55 delegates who voted against the tobacco tax increase.
Fleischauer said she would have supported a $1 tobacco tax increase. That amendment was never brought up in the budget proposed in the House.
Delegate Cindy Frich (R-Monongalia) was one of the 44 delegates in the minority to agree to the lesser tax increase.
“Generally if you can’t get what you want, you tend to take a little bit less because it’s something. They’re unwilling to take anything and hurt all the people they claim they are trying to help,” Frich
Disagreements continued in the special session over the attention paid to PEIA in the proposed budget.
“On July 1st, there will be an immediate 12% increase in premiums. As I said before, the deduction for specialty physicians, which many of us have to go to, is already quadrupled. I don’t call that a fix,” Fleischauer asserted.
Frich countered, “Within that bill, to raise the cigarette tax, there was funding for PEIA so there wouldn’t be increases in co pays or deductibles. Now, what are we going to do? If we don’t find other cuts in other things, so that we can continue to fund PEIA, there will draconian measures taken upon these state employees who depend on PEIA for their healthcare.”
Among Fleischauer’s argument against the house budget bill was her concern for Promise scholarship funding.
“I was here when we passed the Promise. It has been decreased. This does nothing to fix the promise,” said the legislator.
And, even as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seemed to agree a measure to discourage smoking would be beneficial to the state and its residents, they did not compromise on the tobacco tax on day seven of the special legislative session.
“I think people will stop smoking with the 45 cent tax increase and goodness knows we can certainly use the revenue,” Frich maintained. “I don’t know how we’re going to explain to people why we’re cutting beyond what’s necessary because we couldn’t pass a 45 cent cigarette tax increase.”
Fleischauer, citing research to back up her position on a $1 increase, said, “Small increases in the prices of tobacco do not have nearly the oomph that larger increases would do. Lord knows we need to discourage smoking in our state. Like we’ve said, it’s a voluntary tax. You don’t have to buy cigarettes if you don’t want to.”
Republican Monongalia County Delegates Brian Kurcaba, Joe Statler and Bill Flanigan voted in favor of the failed tobacco tax.
The House of Delegates is scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. Wednesday.