CHARLESTON, WV— Today, Governor Jim Justice announced that he is giving the Legislature one extra day to pass a budget. As required by the state constitution, Justice issued a proclamation to extend the session to continue work on the budget.
Justice said he was sad for the people of West Virginia that the Republican leadership can’t come up with a workable budget. The Governor stressed that he is holding out hope for a budget deal to be reached before the end of the extended session.
“There is no good excuse for the Republican leadership not to get this done in 61 days,” said Governor Jim Justice. “The people are with me, and the courageous Democrats are united to pass a responsible budget. So far, the Republican leadership in the Senate has come with a total nothing-burger and the leadership in House has come with a mayonnaise sandwich. I hope they quit playing politics and do the job they were elected to do.”
The Governor said that the focus of the extended session is to get this budget done, and added that he believes that all sides can come together, roll their sleeves up and sit around the table to finish the task in a day.