West Virginia Democrats Are Moving Our State Forward 2006 - 2010

Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, House Speaker Rick Thompson, Acting Senate President Jeff Kessler and the Democrats in the legislature are making responsible decisions for West Virginia’s future.

Cutting taxes:
¬ Cut the food tax by 50%.
¬ Gave low-income families a tax credit.
¬ Doubled the property tax credit for seniors.
¬ Eliminated the state privilege tax on autos.
¬ Lowered the business franchise tax.
¬ Cut the corporate net income tax.

Supporting seniors:
¬ Dedicated more than $316 million in additional revenue for seniors services in the past five years.

Protecting workers:
¬ Passed historic mine safety legislation.
¬ Hired additional inspectors to investigate companies that employ illegal workers to level the playing field for everyone.

Creating responsible government:
¬ Paid more than $1.8 billion toward unfunded pensions and state debt, including $731 million to the Teacher’s Retirement Fund.
¬ Saved more than $2.5 billion by paying down these liabilities early.
¬ Delivered a state budget surplus for five years in a row.
¬ West Virginia’s bond rating has increased to AA.

Creating jobs and expanding investments:
¬ 240 companies have expanded or located in WV.
¬ Created nearly $13 billion in new, private business investments.

Helping  families:
¬ Increased school clothing vouchers from $150 to $200, helping 57,000 children a year.
¬ Expanded newborn testing to require 26 tests, including sickle-cell anemia, cystic fibrosis and hearing deficiency.
¬ Increased the age limit to 25 for a dependent child or stepchild to qualify for PEIA.
¬ Created the Child Protection Act, which greatly increased penalties for sexual predators, created a unit in the State Police for abuse and established an abuse registry. 
¬Raised the state minimum wage.

Supporting Veterans:
¬ Created the Helmets to Hardhats program to provide military personnel with training and job opportunities.
¬ West Virginia was the first state to offer the Veteran’s Bonus Program which has provided 7,600 bonuses in excess of  $4.5 million.