Senate committee backs $4,000 pay increase for state mine inspectors

The Senate Finance Committee voted to report a committee substitute for Senate Bill 708 to the full Senate with the recommendation that it do pass. Committee counsel explained the measure provides a $4,000 salary increase for state mine inspectors, including electrical inspectors, underground inspectors and surface inspectors.

The measure matters because it affects inspectors who enforce safety and training standards in West Virginia mines. Committee counsel said the pay increase would apply to "any other class of inspector that's described in Chapter 22A," the chapter governing the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training. "There is a fiscal note to this bill and it is just shy of half a million dollars a year with these raises," counsel said.

Committee counsel told senators that the majority of the fiscal impact—about $430,000—would come from the state's general revenue fund. There were no amendments offered during the committee meeting and the vice chairman moved that the committee substitute be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that it do pass. The chair called a voice vote; the chair declared "the ayes have it" and the motion was adopted.

No individual roll-call vote totals or dissenting votes were recorded in the committee transcript. The bill was reported to the full Senate for consideration.

Background: Counsel said the bill was referred to the Finance Committee after coming from the Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining, where a prior committee substitute made only technical changes. The bill references Chapter 22A, which governs the Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training and the classification of mine inspectors.

Next steps: Because the committee simply reported the committee substitute to the full Senate with a recommendation that it pass, further consideration and any final votes will occur on the Senate floor or in subsequent legislative action.