An interview with WV State Sen. Charles Clements

By Charles Winslow
SISTERSVILLE – Recalling a conversation that he had with someone over the short length of legislative session in Charleston, Sen. Charles “Charlie” Clements ( R-Wetzel 02) said he didn’t think that West Virginia should have a full-time legislature, like what they have in Ohio and in other states.

“I said ‘no,’ we don’t,” Clements said, with a laugh, during a recent interview with the INNformer. “We need to go down to Charleston for 60 days and then come home for 305 and live under the mistakes that we’ve made.  

“We don’t need a full-time legislature, that’s what the problem is in Washington. They stay there and they don’t have to live day by day.  Everyone one of us in the legislature, the ones that are not retired, have jobs that have to be handled.”

It’s those jobs and improving the economic condition of West Virginia that concerns Clements, who for 30 years owned a New Martinsville-based oil distributorship and later managed an H & R Block franchise, as he faces Democrat Eric Hayhurst – a personal injury attorney based in Morgantown – for re-election in November.

“My concern has always been that I want to see more jobs coming to West Virginia and I think we’ve  worked slowly, but steadily, and made West Virginia a more business friendly state,” said Clements, 79. “When they announced the Hyperloop Project for Tucker County I sort of got excited. Not over the project itself, but just the fact that they looked at West Virginia. For years and years and years we were put in a position where we were just not in the running, we were at the bottom of the ladder.”

The Hyperloop Certification Center is a $500 million project announced in October 2020 by Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. It was one of a string of recent business projects announced for the Mountain State.
“One thing that helped us, believe it or not, is the condition of our state’s pension plans,” Clements said on why companies are looking to West Virginia.

“The worst of our pensions is partially funded at 79 percent. In other states, like Illinois, their pensions are billions of dollars in the red. When companies are looking at places to locate they are saying ‘wait a minute, they are going to come after us to fund those pension plans someday and we don’t want to be part of that.’ ”

“I have to go back and give credit. This was put in place back when the Democrats were in control of the legislature,” Clements continued. “It was a 40- year plan and every year when the governor presents his revenue estimates, on which the budget is based, the first thing that’s done is the state’s actuary tells the budget people how much money has to put in the pension plans to stay on track.

“Those pension plans should be funded through 2032, so we are about 30 years in and we have religiously done that.”

While the state of West Virginia’s pensions have been a plus for attracting business, its tax on inventory and equipment hasn’t been, said Sen. Clements as to why he supports the passage of Amendment 2.

“I support Amendment 2 on personal property tax. The economic development people say that it’s hurting our ability to attract a lot of businesses when they have to pay tax on inventory and a lot of people along the border of the state are relocating, like to Ohio, so they don’t have to pay that personal property tax on inventory and equipment.

“That the part of it I would love to see us do something about. But, unfortunately, our constitution limits very much what we as a legislature can do. Personal property taxes are a guaranteed source of income for the counties and municipalities. The constitution says that’s where the money for that goes.

“Amendment 2 is asking the people to put the control of those taxes, instead of being in the constitution, put them in the hands of the elected legislature,” he said, noting the legislature has stuck to the funding of the pensions and they have come up with a revenue replacement plan for the counties and municipalities.

“We need to get rid of the inventory tax,” said the senator, who was first appointed to the senate in 2017 and elected to a full term in 2018.  

Clements also explained the personal property tax revenue for many counties is trending down and expressed concern over places like Pleasants County, where the power plant may close. “If the Pleasants power plant closes, that will be a big hit,” he said, anticipating the need for counties to go to the legislature in the future for additional money even if the current personal property tax is retained.

In addition to changing the way the state handles the personal property taxes, Clements said the state has to continue to focus on improving education and increasing teacher and public employee pay as West Virginia is losing out to adjoining states.

People are being told in the Eastern Panhandle to get trained in West Virginia then come and apply for jobs in Maryland, Clements explained. He added that if West Virginia can bring jobs in and continues to build the economy up, then younger people are more likely to stay in the state.

Sen. Clements is currently Chairman of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Vice Chair of Banking and Insurance, Vice Chair of Pensions and serves on the Education, Energy, Industry and Mining, and Finance committees.

Charles H. Clements
(R - Wetzel, 02)

[This is his 2021 information on the West Virginia Legislature website.

CONTACT: [email protected]
Capitol Office: Room 441M, Building 1; State Capitol Complex; Charleston, WV 25305
Capitol Phone: (304) 357-7827
District: 242 East Thistle Court; New Martinsville, WV, 26155
District Phone: (304) 455-5339

Biography: Retired Born Aug. 21, 1943, in Huntington, WV Education A.B., Mathematics, WVU Wife Eugenia Children Paul S. Clements and Judith Charlene Murphy Parents Charles and Margaret Clements Affiliations Rotary; Football Official Legislative Service Elected to the House 1994 - 1996; Appointed to the Senate Jan.28, 2017; Elected to the Senate 2018 Legislative Positions Held Chair, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 84th Legislature; Vice Chair, Committee on Banking and Insurance, 84th Legislature

COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
CHAIR: Transportation and Infrastructure
VICE CHAIR: Banking and Insurance
VICE CHAIR: Pensions
Education
Energy, Industry and Mining
Finance

INTERIM COMMITTEES:
CHAIR: Dept. of Transportation Accountability
CHAIR: Infrastructure
CHAIR: Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority
Education
Education Accountability
Energy
Finance
Intern Committee
Natural Gas Development
PEIA, Seniors and Long Term Care
Pensions and Retirement

DISTRICT 02
District Counties: Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer (part), Marion (part), Marshall (part), Monongalia (part), Ritchie, Tyler, Wetzel