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Lawmakers assess bigger funding requests for Commerce, Tourism

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Lawmakers are starting to weigh whether it’s prudent to add the $35 million Gov. Jim Justice wants for the Department of Commerce while nearly tripling the state Division of Tourism budget.

Members of the House Finance Committee heard presentations on Friday morning from representatives of those agencies, including Commerce Secretary Woody Thrasher and Tourism Commissioner Chelsea Ruby.

Gov. Jim Justice

During his State of the State speech earlier this month, Justice described the additional money as a vital investment into West Virginia development.

“I put in the budget — I put in my numbers, rather, a giant number for tourism — $20 million,” Justice said. “And you may think, well, can we not do something else with $20 million, more than just put it into tourism? And I would say to you it’s super penny-wise and pound-poor if you think that’s the thing not to do.”

Still, lawmakers have to examine priorities.

Cindy Frich

“Where is this money coming from? Where are you getting this extra money?” Delegate Cindy Frich, R-Monongalia, asked during Friday morning’s meeting.

Thrasher responded, “I will tell you I think it’s very important to recognize that we perceive that as an investment, not an expense.”

Frich noted the tight budgets of recent years have meant cuts to a variety of agencies and programs.

“We’ve been cutting and cutting and cutting for many years, so there’s a lot of needs in other parts of the budget that might need to be addressed,” she said.

She also made note of the need to focus on the opioid epidemic that has ravaged West Virginia.

“I don’t know how much branding is going to help this state. But I do know the opioid epidemic is more than an image. It’s a reality.”

Woody Thrasher

Thrasher described the investment in Commerce and Tourism as a way to give West Virginia momentum in economic development.

Last year, Justice asked for an additional $105 million for a Save Our State program for Commerce, but legislators decided then that the state couldn’t afford the outlay.

“We’ve spent the last year doing a lot of research, bringing in some experts and trying to figure out what we need to do to increase exposure to West Virginia,” Thrasher said.

Chelsea Ruby

Ruby cited what she called her favorite statistic, saying that 86 percent of people who visit West Virginia come back.

“We’ve got an exposure problem. We’re just not getting enough people here for the first time,” she said. “We have an image problem. There are a lot of misconceptions about this state.  We haven’t put the money in past years into combating those misconceptions.”

Justice is asking for $20 million for the Tourism budget. The agency is currently budgeted for $7.42 million.

“For every dollar that flows into tourism, it is believable the multiplier effect that comes right back to us. We have got to market ourselves,” Justice said at his State of the State address.

And, as he often, has he referenced a television advertising campaign encouraging travel to Michigan.

“At some point in time you’ve got to get tired of waking up and watching the TV, and watching the TV say “Come to New York,” or “Come to Michigan.” It’s driving me crazy,” the governor said. “Some way, somehow, we’ve got to let the world know just how good we really are.”

Thrasher contended increased marketing for tourism would also help with other development efforts.

“You’re not only creating a image for someone to come visit but also to come do business or to start a career,” he said.

He told delegates that Development Office funding has been reduced by 56 percent over a period of years. The office has advocated for additional funding to prepare sites and to act quickly on time-sensitive projects.

“We have to have an inventory if we’re ever going to be competitive,” Thrasher said. “We’ve got to have the investment to get those sites ready. What we have not done is diversify our economy.

“You’re going to get money by generating business activity. This is how you do it by investing and diversifying our economy.”





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