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| Name: | Richard Thompson |
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| Party: | Democrat |
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| Home City: | Lavalette |
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| Home County: | Wayne |
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Biography:
I was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1980. I returned to the House in 2001, and was re-elected in 2002, 2004 and 2006. In 2007 I was elected Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates by the members of the House. This powerful position in state government is second in the line of succession of the Governor.
My wife is Beth Chambers Thompson and we have four children, Wesley, Rachel, Wade, and Dalton. Our daughter is married to Drew Bailey and they have one son, Bryson.
I am the son of a coal miner and homemaker. My father was tragically killed in a coal mine in Wayne County before I was born.
In 1972, I volunteered for the draft during the Vietnam War and trained at the United States Army Military Policeman School at Fort Gordon, GA. I served in the United States Armed Forces until 1974, when I received an honorable discharge.
I re-entered Marshall University in September 1974, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice in 1976. I graduated from West Virginia University College of Law in 1978.
After law school graduation, I decided to return home to practice law, so I could try to help the community where I grew up. During my twenty-nine years as an attorney, I have served the community in numerous capacities and developed a broad and varied legal background.
We attend Truth Independent Baptist Church. I am a life member of the NRA and have memberships with the West Virginia State Bar, American Association for Justice, West Virginia Association for Justice, American Legion Post 93. In addition to my active law practice and public service as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, I also sponsor area little league teams. I am a past president, coach and manager at Lavalette Little League. I am an avid hunter and member of the West Virginia Bowhunters Association and the West Virginia Lungbusters.
Personal Statement:
I appreciate the opportunity to serve the people of Wayne County in the legislature and the opportunity given to me by my fellow delegates to lead for all of West Virginia as Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates.
- What are your plans to create jobs in your district? Are there any particular industries you would like to bring into your district? What kind of legislation would you create in order to bring in out-of-state companies into the district?
- We have to continue responsibly cutting taxes that make us less competitive with other states. Over the last two years, for example, we have cut the business franchise tax and the business inventory tax. When these tax cuts are fully realized it will result in a $149 million annual savings for businesses. This will not only help my district, but the entire state of West Virginia as well.
While any job is better than no job we need to focus our efforts on attracting high paying jobs with benefits such as in technology and manufacturing. In addition to cutting taxes we must continue to invest in infrastructure and education in order to compete. While Wayne is obviously a rural county we are close to river, rail and interstate highways. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been such a strong supporter of the inter-modal facility at Prichard.
- With less tax revenue expected to come in to the state, what should be done with the state tax system? What are your thoughts on state taxes, and do you have any plans to increase/decrease taxes in your represented district?
- We must continue to work to make our tax system fair and equitable for all our citizens and businesses. We must also make sure that out-of-state corporations are paying their fair share. That’s one of the reasons we passed the combined reporting bill last session in order to get a better hand on who’s paying what where. In addition, I support Governor Manchin’s efforts to hold companies accountable for the jobs they promise in exchange for tax and other incentives. If they don’t deliver on what they promise, then they should be required to pay the incentives back.
- With crime, especially drug abuse, becoming a bigger problem in the area, what do you think should be done to cut down on drug activity in the district? Are there any pieces of legislation you would like to create to combat the rising local drug epidemic?
- We have already passed laws such as the drug forfeiture act that allow property used or derived from illegal drug activity to be seized and sold. I support the targeting of resources on drug production and distribution, particularly crystal meth and the illegal sale of prescription drugs like oxycontin. I support giving law enforcement the tools and resources they need to fight drug trafficking.
- Over the past 10 years, the housing stock in several cities has been slowly declining. What could you do, as a legislator, to create/improve housing in the area? Should the problem be solved locally or on the state level?
- One concept I support is developing incentives for residential property owners to either rehabilitate or tear down substandard housing. We have put into place several home rule pilot programs that afford cities more flexibility dealing with such problems under the theory that there’s not a “one size fits all” solution. Ultimately, I think that housing problems should be solved at the local level but with state assistance when available.
- What type of health care initiatives are you interested in introducing as a legislator? Do you believe the system is being utilized to its full potential, or can improvements be made? If improvements could be made, what are they?
- We must do more to expand the affordability and accessibility of health care to all our citizens. Too many working West Virginians lack health care coverage for themselves and their families and the problem only seems to be growing worse. Since more and more of our people work for small businesses its absolutely critical that we find ways to make insurance affordable to small businesses. We must also do more, through buying pools and other means to reduce the rapidly growing cost of prescription drugs.
- Marshall University regularly has to compete with other colleges in the state for research funding dollars. Do you believe research and the furtherance of higher education in your district is important? Why? What do you plan to do to bring more funding dollars to MU? What would you do to ensure that MU would have the opportunity to continue its research initiatives?
- I was pleased to support Governor Manchin’s initiative to pass $50 million in research funding to be shared by Marshall University and WVU. This historic appropriation should yield dividends for both institutions and for our state in the years to come. I would like to see more private public partnerships between businesses and our universities.
- What are the conditions of the roadways in your district? Are there any pieces of legislation you are interested in introducing to improve local roads?
- Our local roads, as in many areas of West Virginia, are in need of maintenance and improvement. While road crews work hard, there’s only so much in the way of resources to go around. And while the state receives a substantial federal match on the gas tax, our people cannot afford to pay more for gas than they already do.
- How do you plan to work with the state's Division of Highways to improve roadways in your district? What road and bridge improvements need to be made?
- The legislature has and will continue to look for additional funding for the state's Division of Highways. I would like to see more orphan roads taken into the system and more money spent on maintenance, especially on our secondary roads and Route 152. Because of our local topography, we experience a great number of washouts and sink holes. Many of these are not just inconveniences but real safety hazards as well. I would also like to see the improvement of Tolsia Highway from Kenova to Crum.
- How do you plan to improve recreational activities in the area? Are there any parks, trails or playground projects you would like to focus on? How would these new recreational activities benefit the communities?
- I have been pleased to be able to provide funding for several ball field and play ground construction projects. Youth sports, particularly tournament play, can provide a boost to local economies – not to mention the invaluable role it plays in the development of our young people. I am very much interested in additional improvements for Beech Fork State Park and Cabwaylingo State Park.
- What areas of interest do you plan on focusing on as a legislator? Have you planned any legislation to be introduced?
- Jobs, economic development and the affordability and accessibility of health care are absolutely critical to West Virginia right now. We must improve our economic climate so that our children can make their home and career in the mountain state. As Speaker of the House I’ll work hard every day to make West Virginia a better place to live and work and raise a family.
- REPLY IN FEWER THAN 50 WORDS: What do you think the Legislature can do to improve work force development?
- We need to make sure that we stay ahead of the curve in terms of preparing our work force for the jobs of the 21’st century. Technology, environmental engineering, and energy sector occupations, to name a few, are all areas that business and industry will increasingly have a need for.
- REPLY IN FEWER THAN 50 WORDS: Many West Virginia cities are struggling with their long-term municipal pension obligations. What do you think the state should do to help cities deal with municipal pensions?
- Municipal home rule holds the promise of potentially allowing cities and municipalities greater flexibility in meeting their own revenue needs – specifically as it relates to municipal pensions. We should also take care to avoid placing unreasonable unfunded mandates on cities.
- REPLY IN FEWER THAN 50 WORDS: Students in West Virginia generally lag behind other countries in education. Do you favor more instruction days, adding merit pay for teachers, improving math and science instruction or some other option to improve education?
- We need flexibility in the school calendar so there are fewer disruptions and so students are provided an adequate number of instructional days. I support increasing teacher pay across the board. Math and science have to be a priority to ensure our kids are prepared for the jobs of tomorrow.
