WV Legislative Update: Delegate Brent Boggs - Chairman of the House Committee on Finance - 05.05.14 After spending a good part of Saturday mowing our hillside yard, made up of a healthy crop of dandelions and wild green onions, it was a pleasant day. It’s also the season for many spring-related events. We enjoyed a great meal and an enjoyable late afternoon Saturday in Sutton for the annual fundraising dinner for Sutton Public Library. Thanks to all the library board members and friends of the library that turned out in support. Also, special thanks to the Sutton Moose Club for again hosting the event and for their continued community support. Spring also is the time for many ramp dinners in our area. A great event was held at Frametown Volunteer Fire Department after church on Sunday. As is always the case, the food was great, plentiful and we enjoyed wonderful fellowship with folks from near and far. Hats-off to the many volunteers that worked countless hours to make this event a great success to help meet the needs of the Frametown VFD. Regardless of where you live in any of our counties in central West Virginia, take time to visit and support any and all fundraising events by all our fire departments and libraries. With our VFD’s, in addition to the time and effort put forth in hosting these events, they work diligently for you with mandatory training, out-of-pocket expenses, time away from families and jobs, and for the hazardous duty of responding to fires, accidents, forest fires and emergencies. While the State has made provisions for basic funding, it alone is not enough. Keeping firefighters trained and equipped provides them better personal safety, more effective response time, and also keeps our insurance rates lower than would otherwise be the case. We owe each member and auxiliary member our appreciation and support in all our communities and counties. At the Capitol earlier last week, I had a lengthy meeting with DHHR Cabinet Secretary Karen Bowling and the Governor’s Senior Policy Analyst, Hallie Mason, regarding a host of issues. However, our most important conversations were focused on how we move forward to better meet the needs of our aged and disabled population; how we can more rapidly reduce the waiting list for services; ways to better work and communicate with providers of services; and other ways we can cooperate as we move forward in the upcoming fiscal year. The additional $2.5 million in funding is a major start, but just the beginning. Secretary Bowling knows that Speaker Miley and the House of Delegates attach a high priority to serving the needs of seniors and making certain funding is available to do so. In the next few weeks, I intend to work closely and communicate directly with Secretary Bowling to assure it remains at the forefront of policy discussions. Likewise, I spoke with Delegate Larry Williams, Chair of the House Senior Issues Committee, so we can coordinate efforts in the interim period. Also, I want to thank the Braxton Ministerial Association for their continued annual hosting of the National Day of Prayer breakfast, held last Thursday at Days Hotel. I always look forward to this very special annual event. First instituted by President Lincoln, it is a reminder to give thanks for God’s blessings bestowed on our nation. Jean attended with me, along with others from the community for a morning of devotions and prayer for our country. To conclude, this coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. I’m blessed to with a wonderful Mom that continues to inspire and demonstrate love and devotion for faith, family and values. Thanks, Mom, for all your love and support. Please send your inquiries to the Capitol Office at: Building 1, Room 462-M, Charleston, WV 25305. Or, call the Finance Committee office at 304.340.3230; or Jennifer McPherson at 304.340.3942; or, fax to 304.340.3388. If you have an interest in any particular bill or issue, please let me know. For those with Internet access, my e-mail address is: [email protected] . You may also obtain additional legislative information, including the copies of bills, conference reports, daily summaries, interim highlights, and leave me a message on the Legislature’s web site at legis.state.wv.us/. When leaving a message, please remember to include your phone number with your inquiry and any details you can provide. Additional information, including agency links and the state government phone directory, may be found at wv.gov. Also, you may follow me on Facebook at “Brent Boggs”, Twitter at “@DelBrentBoggs” , as well as the WV Legislature’s Facebook page at “West Virginia Legislature” or on Twitter at twitter/wvlegislature. Continue to remember our troops - at home and abroad - and keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers. Until next week – take care.
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 08:20:16 +0000
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