Gov. Justice Kicks Off 2018 Legislative Session with 2nd State of the State Address

On this West Virginia Morning, in his second State of the State address, Gov. Jim Justice provided a message of optimism that repeatedly pointed back to the state’s dire economic outlook just one year ago.

In a nearly 50-minute speech to a joint meeting of the House and Senate, Justice outlined improvements in the state’s economy, addressed ongoing issues such as the opioid crisis and a slate of priorities that include a phasing out of the state’s business inventory tax, legislation that he hopes will boost the natural gas industry, increased attention to community and technical colleges and a promise of no tax hikes.

Also on today’s show, many Democrats and Republicans say they want to pass immigration reform this year. Most Republicans are pushing for tighter border regulations, while some Democrats say they would like to find a way to extend work permits to “Dreamers” through the DACA program. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It provided 2-year work permits to some illegal immigrants if their parents brought them into the country as children.

Last fall, the Trump Administration announced it was ending the program. Just this week, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s decision to end the DACA program. 

Roxy Todd spoke with one of those about how the debate in Washington affects her life here in West Virginia.