As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense, and both teams have that. Their defensive squads may score with safeties, punt returns, and turnovers returned for touchdowns, but victory is likely to go to the team that spends the most time calling the plays.
Ask any West Virginia Republican legislator and he'll tell you how frustrating it is always to be on defense, how long he's waited to play offense instead, and how much nicer it is – since the historic legislative turnover in 2015 – to be setting the agenda..
It's an ambitious agenda, too. There's talk of comprehensive tax and tort reform and other measures designed to make our state a friendlier business environment, get our economy humming again, and give our citizens a future to look forward to.
“We have made great strides in the last two sessions with major legal reform and regulatory reform,” says Sen. Robert Karnes, who as chairman of the new Select Committee on Tax Reform is hoping to “revamp our antiquated, anti-growth tax system and replace it with a proven, pro-growth tax code that can draw job creators from a broad range of industries, and will guarantee West Virginia its rightful place as a national leader in the American comeback story.”
Legislators will also consider several business-friendly proposals supported by West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, including creation of an Intermediate Court of Appeals and changes to our state’s medical monitoring laws to discourage fraud.
Members of the Republican legislative team are in fighting trim, they have a good offense, they have a good game plan, and they have momentum.