CHARLESTON, WV – Following Monday’s announcement that the state of West Virginia had a record first quarter surplus, Gov. Jim Justice said today he has secured the support of the Republican-led Legislature to commit $100 million to a long-term solution fund for the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) as well as to give public school teachers and state employees a 5% pay raise for a second consecutive year.Gov. Justice said the commitment of $100 million to PEIA isn’t the only component needed to fix the system but it is a huge step forward along with the continuing work being done by the PEIA Task Force.“More work has to be done to fix PEIA but this will help to stabilize the program while the Task Force continues its work and while I explore an alternative route of privatization,” Gov. Justice added. “We’re going to find a long-term solution.”Gov. Justice went on to say that we “all believe in education, investing in education and putting our money where our mouth is” and that his promise to continue providing pay raises if the state’s financial situation keeps improving, helped make the decision to provide a 5% pay raise for teachers and state employees for the second straight year.
Watch the press conference here.