Issues
Political Views
“This campaign is about fresh ideas, new initiatives and the future of West Virginia,” Skaff said. ”I want to use my past experiences to make this a better place to live for all current and future West Virginians.” I believe the skills I’ve developed over the last four years in the House, the relationships I have built in the community, and my experiences in the business world make me an ideal candidate to be your voice for Kanawha County.”
“I want to make it easier for West Virginians to stay in West Virginia,” Skaff said. “When searching for opportunity, I want people to turn to West Virginia. I don’t want people to be forced to travel outside our borders for a better education or a better job. If people want to stay close to their family and their roots, I want to work to help provide them that option. I will strive to create opportunities to provide for a more educated and dedicated workforce.”
“We need to create programs that focus on the retention of our graduates upon completion of their education. We have programs that give incentives to attend higher education schools in West Virginia but nothing to fill the void between graduation and their career paths. We must work together with the business leaders, public officials, teachers, and parents to help create incentives that will allow for more opportunities to hire our graduates and keep them in the state.
Doug will remain focused on education, creating jobs, providing for our seniors and veterans, and smart economic growth/development across the region. Doug intends on listening to the concerns and insights of Kanawha County residents to identify the critical issues and challenges facing the area today and tomorrow.
Issues
Redistricting
Led the charge to break up the large 7 Member district formerly called (3oth District) Worked to create a 4- 3 compromise splitting up the district into two separate districts. One for the Eastern Upper Kanawha Valley area and one for the Western part of the county. I believe this compromise will result in better representation of the people of WV.
Listen to commentary from Doug’s floor speech to his colleagues at wvmetronews.com.
Economic Development and Jobs
I have been appointed Chairman of the House Economic and Small Business Committee as well as the Legislative Oversight Commission on Workforce Investment for Economic Development.
I will support reduction of the business franchise tax and make it easier to conduct business in WV. We must encourage innovation, entrepreneurship, and research funding which result in economic benefit for our state. Continue to work on and introduce legislation to help employers who create new jobs and provide new innovative technologies that do not exist today by providing tax incentives on investments that create good paying jobs with benefits. Continue the support for school and business partnerships to provide for a more educated and skilled workforce. Worked during session to create incentives to those wishing to get new training in all areas of trade professions.
Taxpayer Liabilities
We continue to increase the low income family tax credit and work to reduce the food tax. Also, I support establishing new tax incentives for new home construction, reducing taxes for our seniors and veterans, and additionally offer incentives for retirees wishing to return to West Virginia. In order to encourage recent graduates choosing to stay in the state to start their employment, we should offer income tax breaks to them. Lastly, the business franchise tax should continue to be reduced to help attract new businesses to our area and support the existing business base. Continue to support all initiatives that address our OPEB responsibilities.
Teachers Pay and Merger of Retirement Plans
We must figure out a way to merge the retirement plans while not losing sight on our pay raise for our teachers. Eligible teachers must be able to afford to retire thus creating opportunities for our new educators of tomorrow who will start contributing to the retirement plan. Included teachers to my list of recent college graduates tax incentive plan that gave those graduates who chose teaching as their profession no state income tax for the first three years after graduation. Bill is currently being studied through interims and could see passage next session.
Senior, Veterans, and Retirees
This is a vital untapped resource for West Virginia. We need to provide tax incentives to our seniors, veterans, and retirees in particularly income taxes, housing, and healthcare cost. This will help our existing citizens and will encourage new retirees and veterans come home to West Virginia. Incentives for our seniors’ will allow their expenditures to stay in WV and stimulate our economy, provide ancillary jobs, and expand our population base.
Educated Workforce and Priorities for Public Education
We must focus our education system in these areas to provide for a more educated workforce:
- School culture – An interconnectedness of students, staff, and parents with good communication
- 21st century curriculum and instruction – Relevance and relationship are the keys to a meaningful
education so our students can compete and excel in a global society. - Best practice – Schools provide appropriate instruction and become powerful learning communities.
- Student-centered programs – Students become well rounded individuals in music, art, technology, writing,
teamwork, group projects, and speaking skills, in addition to the core curriculum. Collaboration, formative, summative,
and benchmark assessment, and effective monitoring process, to ensure that we are preparing students that are ready
for the future.
Promise Scholarship
The PROMISE scholarship is indeed a great thing that allows our high school graduates to further their education in an in state school for college. It was created to help keep our graduates in state for their education. We should not punish those students who decide to leave the state; instead work towards new ways of keeping them here. We must work with local businesses, educators, community leaders, and current employers to provide for ways to make more opportunities in the state available for our graduates who want to stay.
We must examine all opportunities to partner with the colleges to establish a plan or form of prepayment of scholarships to help control escalating cost, thus locking the cost in at today’s tuition rates for use on future scholarships.
Additionally, offer businesses the chance to participate in scholarships and then they would have a vested interest in the graduate’s future employment thus keeping our graduates in WV.
Environment
Environmental laws are continually being changed and I would be open for consideration of any laws that provide for the improvement of the health and well being of all West Virginians.
