Kelli served her first two years in the Legislature on the House Education Committee, the No Child Left Behind Subcommittee and served on the Higher Education Subcommittee during the interim process. She believes we need to eliminate the bureaucracy that hinders education, and restore decision making authority to parents, educators and locally elected school boards. With her colleagues, Kelli worked for the passage of several key bills such as reducing the unnecessary paperwork for teachers so that our teachers can spend more time in the classroom doing what they do best! Teaching! Kelli voted to protect our school bus replacement and school building construction funds and voted for safer schools legislation. She participated in roundtable discussions with college presidents throughout the state to find ways to help make higher education more cost-efficient - Kelli opposes cuts to public and higher education funding and supports efforts that address recruitment, retention and annual experience increments for faculty.

IT'S ONLY A BEGINNING!

In six short years as your Delegate, Kelli Sobonya has proven to be your voice at the Legislature. She is using her energy, integrity, and new ideas to improve the way your state government works.

Kelli believes we need to streamline government to make it more efficient and cost-effective. Government should be better, not bigger. While government's role is not to create jobs, we can create a better atmosphere for job creation. Kelli believes we should start to build a solid economic foundation first! In her first term in office, she worked to address the difficult issues like the passage of:

Medical Liability Reform - to help keep our doctors in West Virginia.

Workers Compensation Reform - to help keep our program for injured workers solvent through privatization and competition.

Insurance Reform - Kelli supported the Insurance Fraud Unit bill but believes more needs to be done in order to bring down the rising cost of insurance premiums.

Kelli also believes in tax reform. She supports and co-sponsored tax reform legislation and believes we need to begin the dialogue for creating a fair and simple tax system. Kelli is also a sponsor of eliminating the unfair business franchise tax and the food tax and has sponsored a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment creating the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Our current tax system is antiquated and needs comprehensive and fundamental changes. We need a tax system that makes sense!

As a 20-year business owner and as a parent of two children and grandparent of one grandson, Kelli shares your concerns that West Virginia has struggled with our young people and jobs leaving our state. Instead of relying on our limited revenue streams each year when we balance the state budget each year, we should work towards building a solid foundation with sound fiscal policies & pass the comprehensive reforms like tax reform, and workers compensation reforms.

Illegal Immigration Reform -Kelli was the co-sponsor of HB-4549 and voted in favor of legislation which is now law that will penalize businesses that hire illegal and undocumented workers. Giving our West Virginia jobs to those who are illegal is unacceptable. Our jobs should go for legal West Virginia workers and legal immigrants.

Health Care - Delegate Sobonya is committed to affordable and accessible health care. She has supported expanding the CHIPS program for children and has voted in favor of health programs for our uninsured and for small businesses. She has stood up for our retirees and cosponsored a forum for retirees in the Advantra Freedom program to make sure that their health care coverage is protected.

Our soldiers, past and present, have gone where others fear to go--preserving freedom! Kelli has been supportive of all bills that have come before the Legislature dealing with issues that affect our Veterans. Her two brothers, one in the Navy and one in the Air Force, both served in the first Gulf War and one brother recently served in Kuwait. Kelli believes we need to increase our efforts in creating statewide nursing homes for Veterans. Kelli co-sponsored bills that would exempt certain recipients of military medals of valor from special registration plate fees and would exempt one motor vehicle of an active duty military resident from ad valorem taxes. She also is passionate about instilling in our young people the sacrifice and impact our Veterans have made in preserving freedom at home and throughout the world. That is why is co-sponsored the "WV Remembers Act" which allows Veterans to share their experiences with young people in our schools. Veterans have given their lives & limbs in their service to our Country and deserve our utmost respect and gratitude for helping us to remain "One Nation Under God."

Fair & Balanced Judicial System

Our court system should be fair and impartial. Justice is supposed to be blind. Kelli supports the non-partisan election of judges and co-sponsored a bill with the House minority leader that would have addressed this issue. Kelli will continue to work for a fair and balanced court system and will work toward ethical reform that will clean up your state government. Streamline Government to be more cost-effect, accountable, and responsible to the people. Kelli is the lead sponsor of legislation that would prohibit office holders, appointed or elected, from using public funds to self promote. The public should not be responsible for purchasing "trinkets", billboards, print and broadcast media for public officials. That is what campaigns are for! She also supported tougher laws relating to lobbyists and a high standard of ethics for public officials.

Legislative Committee Assignments:

Judiciary Committee Constitutional Revision Small Business/Economic Development/Industry & Labor - Minority Chair Small Legislative Rule Making and Review Small Select Committee on Mine Safety WV Legislature Web Site