Reaction to State of the State speech

Governor Jim Justice outlined his plans for the state, Wednesday night, during the State of the State speech.

Following the speech, AFT-WV President Christine Campbell weighed in, applauding the Governor for initiatives aimed at expanding career and technical education opportunities for students and is hopeful increase the highly-skilled workforce in our state.

“Our children deserve the best education we can provide, and they need certified teachers in every classroom. I am hopeful that the leadership in the House and Senate will work with the Governor to identify a sustainable funding source for these proposed pay raises to move in the right direction,” she said in regards to his proposals for pay raises.

“Sadly, the initiatives proposed by the Governor are not reflected in the bills introduced today. For example, several bills propose Education Savings Accounts (ESA) that are simply school vouchers. These programs will drain funding from our county school systems and will not provide the same level of necessary services for children, particularly in rural areas,” she said in a statement.

Americans for Prosperity West Virginia State Director Jason Huffman released the following statement:

“Last year Governor Justice asked for nearly half a billion in tax hikes on already struggling West Virginians. The vast majority of that proposal failed. Today, our activists are very excited that Governor Justice has answered their call for no tax increases in 2018, and we encourage Gov. Justice to maintain this position. We will continue to encourage lawmakers to do the same,” said Huffman.

“We are also heartened by the Governor’s commitment to follow the lead of Congress and President Trump by supporting legislative efforts to lower tax rates that hold back economic growth. Free market, pro-growth reforms adopted by principled lawmakers on the state and federal level have contributed to a better economic outlook for the Mountain State—however, this should not lead policymakers to a spending free-for-all. As always, our activists want lawmakers to have reasoned, fiscal restraint with their tax dollars. We’re urging lawmakers to reject irresponsible government spending and continue to make government live within its means.”