Litigation

Fees an Issue for WV Finance Bill

By Peter Hardin

Legislation for public financing of state Supreme Court elections in West Virginia could get hung up on a side issue–involving court fees proposed to help foot the election bill.

The House-passed bill must be cleared by the Senate Finance Committee before it goes to the full Senate, and Finance Committee chairman Walt Helmick has criticized the fees. He questioned whether his panel would consider the legislation for a pilot program to publicly finance two state Supreme Court elections in 2012, according to an Associated Press article.

Gov. Joe Manchin named an independent commission on judicial reform that ultimately recommended the pilot program. Manchin has met with Helmick, according to Matt Turner, a spokesman for Manchin.

“He certainly understands Sen. Helmick’s concerns about this,” Turner said. “But the governor also hopes that the senator understands how the public in West Virginia feel about the fairness of the process, and the influence of special interests.”

Earlier this week, the Justice at Stake Campaign and the Committee for Economic Development released a poll showing most West Virginia voters support public financing of state Supreme Court elections. You can read more about the poll, and the West Virginia legislation, in Gavel Grab.  The legislature is scheduled to end its session Saturday.

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 10, 2010 (boomark / email).