Mitch Carmichael Tim Armstead

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, and Senate President Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson, today announced that since taking over following the 2014 elections Republican leaders have trimmed the Legislature’s annual operating budget by nearly $1.5 million.

When Republicans took over at the beginning of the 2015 session, the Legislature had an annual operating budget of $24,451,694. In the Fiscal Year 2018 budget that went into effect July 1, the Legislature’s annual budget was set at $22,996,964 – a reduction of $1,455,000 in annual operating expenses compared to Fiscal Year 2015.

“The citizens of West Virginia elected us to run government in a more efficient manner and to eliminate waste and abuse,” Speaker Armstead said. “We have done that with the Legislature, streamlining staff costs and finding ways to save money on everyday operations.”

“We’re leading by example in the Legislature,” President Carmichael said. “In these tough economic times, every state agency needs to do what it can to tighten their belts and live within our state’s means. We’ve delivered results with this Legislature, and hope other state agencies can follow our lead.”

The annual savings have been accomplished through a series of cost-cutting initiatives, including eliminating staff and lawmaker travel reimbursement costs, moving printing in-house, and streamlining staffing during legislative sessions.

“We have made a commitment to doing everything we can to make this government operate more efficiently without putting any additional tax burdens on our citizens,” President Carmichael said. “By streamlining costs, we’re living up to that promise we’ve made to the hardworking people of West Virginia.”

“In homes across our state, families are reducing their own budgets to make their hard-earned paychecks stretch further,” Speaker Armstead said. “They expect us to do the same with their tax dollars. We will continue to explore new ways to reduce the costs of operating the Legislature and make the most efficient use of our citizens’ tax dollars.”

The Legislature’s budget, by the numbers: