Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a $5.5 billion general revenue budget passed last week by the state Legislature, although he did have several objections.
“The difficult decisions that we made to start addressing the state’s long-term financial liabilities positioned us to have the prudent FY 2027 budget that I am approving today,” Morrisey wrote in a letter to legislative leaders.
“I am committed to working with the legislature over the next several years to continue these efforts to right-size our ongoing base expenditures of General Revenue and Lottery funds.”
Lawmakers passed the budget earlier than ever before to have enough time for potential overrides of the governor’s line item vetoes. They took note that the governor used the line item veto 29 times last year.
Saturday is the final day of this year’s regular legislative session, so lawmakers could use the remaining time to counteract this year’s line item veto decisions if they disagree.
So the governor gave them some things to chew on.
First, he objected to a budget bill provision stating that “no more than a total of five percent of the general revenue appropriated to any one fund may be transferred to other funds within the department, or other appropriations within a fund” for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.
Morrisey said that would be overly burdensome and restrictive for ongoing operation of state agencies. “Restricting the dollar amount of transfers within the same funds will hamper the ability of state agencies to be responsive to the changing demands placed on them,” he wrote.
Of a $1 million allocation to the Marshall University Research Corporation, the governor concluded a more appropriate amount would be the prior year funding level of half that.
“There is no imperative to increase the state appropriation when the Corporation’s external funding base is substantial and growing,” he wrote.
For international trade offices, he said funding should be reduced from $1 million to $750,000 instead. “I remain committed to expanding West Virginia’s international trade opportunities,” he wrote. “At the same time we must exercise fiscal discipline on overseas spending.”
He proposed reducing $2.5 million in tourism dollars meant to bolster Appalachian Outlaw Trails by $250,000.
The governor described himself as “a strong supporter of this project and its potential to drive tourism and economic development in the Upper Kanawha Valley,” but he said the project also is in active pursuit of an abandoned mine lands economic development grant that could go farther to bolster the project.
The budget bill had directed $1.1 million to court appointed special advocates. The governor proposes reducing that by $400,000.
“I am very supportive of CASA’s mission to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in court,” he wrote. But he said the program already has a strong track record of securing competitive grants.
In a couple of cases, the governor just corrected some repetitive terms. And in others, he corrected the outdated name of an agency.
He highlighted two specific instances where his administration concluded proposed budget transfers would endanger the operations of state agencies and programs.
One was the auditor’s securities regulation fund, where the governor objected to a $2,000,000 directed transfer, saying it would “imperil the Auditor’s ability to adequately run the program”.He reduced the transfer amount to $1,750,000.
With another, the governor completely vetoed a $1 million directed transfer from the elevator safety fund. He said the transfer would exceed the fund’s available balance and “ultimately cause the elevator safety program to shut down”
So he reduced the transfer amount to $0.
In a press release, the governor called the budget a successful statement of financial priorities.
“These investments reflect our commitment to preparing West Virginia for the future while addressing the needs of communities across the state,” Morrisey said.
“From expanding digital literacy to strengthening education to improving our roads and building greater flood resilience, we are making smart investments that will help West Virginians succeed and protect our communities for years to come.”