WV auditor hired a sitting senator despite AG warning; he then pushed to expand the office
In October 2025, State Auditor Mark Hunt asked Attorney General J.B. McCuskey whether a sitting legislator could work for his office. McCuskey's Oct. 16 opinion said hiring a lawmaker as an employee would violate the state constitution and that a contractor role required caution. In November 2025 Hunt hired Senate President Pro Tempore Jay Taylor, R-Taylor, as a contractor in the auditor's Local Government Services Division through Dec. 31,. In 2026 Taylor was lead sponsor of Senate Bill 929, which would have put all 55 county school boards under the auditor's oversight; the auditor's chief counsel sent him a memo on the bill. It passed the Senate but stalled in the House. Treasurer Larry Pack requested invoices and timesheets in June 2026. Hunt called the contract a $5,000 cost saver; Taylor said he would not have signed it if he believed it was prohibited.
The state's top lawyer warned that it could violate the West Virginia Constitution for a state agency to hire a lawmaker.
I shouldn't be questioned on a $5,000 contract.
"I shouldn't be questioned on a $5,000 contract." Says contractors save the state money because they get no benefits.
"I would not have entered into the contract if I believed it was prohibited."
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