Saturday, February 18, 2012
WV Governor: A LEGISLATIVE SESSION UPDATE
With just over half of this year’s Legislative Session complete, my administration and I continue to work in partnership with state legislators so that we may build a brighter future for all of West Virginia.
The first 2012 Legislative Session bill that I have signed into law speaks volumes regarding our commitment to job development. With the passage of House Bill 4086, we opened our doors to opportunity and demonstrated that West Virginia is a state that wants companies to invest and create jobs. Specifically, this bill enhances our efforts to recruit an ethane steam cracker. By signing House Bill 4086 into law, we establish tax relief for ethane cracker development. This legislation coupled with the landmark Horizontal Well Act, relating to Marcellus Shale Development, sends a clear message to investors that we remain committed to rebuilding our manufacturing base.
Just last week West Virginia took a monumental step forward, growing our financial strength and stability. Recently, West Virginia had a $10 billion unfunded Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) liability, due primarily to past promises that became too expensive to maintain. Late last year, the PEIA Finance Board made some very difficult choices that reduced this liability to $5 billion. Now, with last week’s passage of Senate Bill 469 addressing OPEB, this unfunded liability will be gone by 2036. This week when I sign the bill we will save the county boards of education $485 million in future OPEB liability payments. Today, the counties who have saved money for the payment towards this debt can now utilize $20 million, that they have saved, for their local needs.
Our state has experienced recent developments in job growth because we have remained steadfast in maintaining a responsible tax structure, a stable government and a ready and able workforce. However, we still have work to do for the places in our state where we do not have enough qualified, drug-free, West Virginians to fill the available jobs.
I believe we must address the substance abuse problem so we can maintain a workforce that is educated, trained and ready to work. I have proposed legislation that would strengthen the Prescription Monitoring Program, limiting the number of controlled substances prescribed in a specific time period and requiring health professionals who prescribe controlled substances to receive drug diversion and “best practice” prescribing training.
We have made significant progress during this legislative session, addressing outstanding liabilities, establishing tax relief, and enhancing job development for the state of West Virginia. I look forward to continuing my work with our legislators in the coming weeks so we can complete this session successfully for the great citizens of West Virginia.
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The message should be much more important than the messenger but still people just don’t read or take the responsibility of independent thinking. It seems more important to know who said it, to be on the “right” side. I don’t like bullies. I don’t care for people telling others what they should and should not say or how to say it. That’s my right, my opinion. Don’t have any problem signing my name to this but for now I’ll just use…
To Not Me,