West Virginia Week in Review - August 5, 2023

West Virginia Week in Review

Share Tweet Forward Gov. Justice addresses WV National Guard members during deployment ceremony for mission to Southern Border Gov. Jim Justice addressed the 54 West Virginia National Guard volunteer members who deployed earlier this week to support efforts at the Southern Border. They will work with the Texas National Guard and local law enforcement agencies to detect, deter, and interdict transnational criminal activity between points of entry, conducting a four-phase mission spanning 30 days. Earlier this year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to the Governor requesting support in responding to the ongoing border crisis through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which enables states to provide assistance and share resources with another state in response to a disaster or emergency. Read More Photo Album YouTube Gov. Justice attends ribbon-cutting for Rahall Congressional Archives at WVU Tech Photo Album Gov. Justice reacts to Alderson Broaddus news, expresses gratitude to other schools for assistance Read More Gov. Justice cuts everyone's income tax and state still shows surplus revenue numbers for July Gov. Justice announced that West Virginia’s General Revenue collections for July 2023, the first month of Fiscal Year 2024, came in at a very respectable $7.7 million above estimates with total collections of $335 million. “Although our surplus this month isn’t as high as we’ve seen in the past, what this proves is that we’ve been minding the store properly by keeping our base budget flat,” Gov. Justice said. “We had phenomenal surpluses last year, and I strongly believe we are going to have a strong surplus this year too, despite the effects of Bidenomics at work with runaway inflation eating into West Virginians' pockets. It’s the perfect time to mind the store properly, which is what West Virginians elected me to do and I have done.  "July is consistently our slowest month of the year for collections. Despite widespread calls to significantly increase our base spending budget, similar to what West Virginia has done repeatedly in the past decades, I refused to listen to this nonsense and we chose to maintain a flat budget. This decision ensures that we won't encounter the same budget shortfalls currently being experienced by states like California and New York." Read More Gov. Justice says West Virginia ranks third-best state to retire Read More West Virginia DMV’s National Digital Titling Clearinghouse now signing up businesses nationwide Gov. Justice announced that businesses all across America that rely on vehicle titling as a critical component of their operation can now sign up for the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles’ National Digital Titling Clearinghouse.   The Clearinghouse is a central location for quick, efficient, and secure title transfers – and the first of its kind in the United States.  “The launch of the National Digital Titling Clearinghouse represents a major leap forward for West Virginia and will bring millions of dollars into our state while providing significant time and money savings to businesses nationwide,” Gov. Justice said. “It’s not only going to help West Virginia businesses, it will allow West Virginia to benefit businesses outside our state borders in a big way.” Read More Gov. Justice announces preliminary approvals for West Virginia Broadband Investment Plan, LEAD, and MBPS programs At the inaugural West Virginia Broadband Summit, Gov. Justice announced the preliminary approval of more than $32 million under two programs of the West Virginia Broadband Investment Plan. This announcement includes applications received under the programs Line Extension Advancement and Development (LEAD) and Major Broadband Project Strategies (MBPS).   LEAD and MBPS projects announced through this application cycle will provide broadband connectivity to more than 6,000 targeted locations with the deployment of approximately 793 miles of new infrastructure. In addition to grant funds awarded, over $16 million in matching funds will bring the total investment to over $48 million. Read More Photo Album ###