CHARLESTON, W.Va. – House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, issued the following statement Friday in response to Thursday’s actions by the PEIA Finance Board:
"Unfortunately, the PEIA board has again taken the course that has been followed by so many over the years and kicked the can further down the road and tried to pass the buck. It is this attitude that has played a large part in creating the financial challenges West Virginia faces today.
"Sadly, it seems union representatives on the PEIA board are more interested in using the system as a political football than in finding ways to make it operate in a more efficient manner for our state employees and taxpayers.
"House and Senate leadership have been meeting with the Governor's Office and PEIA representatives in recent weeks about potential alternative solutions to the funding shortfall – solutions that would not require increasing taxes on our citizens. Those discussions have been productive and are ongoing. Our hope is to have meaningful proposals ready to introduce in the coming legislative session."