Justice Discusses Plans For Special Session, But No Formal Call Yet

A special session is expected to start on Monday, but details of the session have not been announced.

Gov. Jim Justice announced a second special session at the start of September to tackle a proposed additional 5 percent income tax cut, and to address child care in the state. Another special session in May focused primarily on supplementing and amending appropriations. 

But the governor has not formally called the legislature to convene Sept. 30, and no draft bills have emerged.

During a regular press briefing Friday, Justice told reporters that planning and discussion are ongoing.

“We’re still naturally finalizing different things, and we all want the same thing. We’re all really working together,” he said “Well, this is not like a food fight that’s going on or whatever, like that. It’s working together well.”

The governor said he expects the session to take multiple days, but does not want to waste state money or legislators’ time, especially if there is no guarantee of certain bills’ passage.

“If I were told at the 11th hour, ‘We’re not going to vote for this,’ or ‘We’re going to vote for a child care tax break, we’re not going to do that at all.’ Well, I mean, you know, why waste our time?” Justice said. “We’ve got plenty of things to do, really and truly, if all we’re going to do is bring people down and spend state dollars and they’re not going to get anything done on an issue, we don’t need that issue.”

On the issue of child care, Justice said the solution he hoped to see would be twofold. He proposed a one-time, merit-based fund administered through Workforce West Virginia to subsidize child care centers complimented by a tax credit.

“We’re going to add right with that, a state tax break to our families that are having child care,” Justice said. “It’s a complex issue and it’s a national issue, but we’re going to take it on. We won’t fix everything completely. We won’t do that. At the same time, if we can help what we want to do.”

Since the death of Kyneddi Miller earlier this year, legislators and advocates have discussed legislation to further regulate homeschooling being included in a special session. On Friday, Justice said a draft was being worked on, but that it was a complicated issue that may be better left to the general session in January.

“We’re trying,” he said. “We understand and the tragedy of circumstances that have happened with folks. We need to do better. There’s no question we need to do better. But boy, what a complex issue. And if we don’t watch out, this may be better in a general session than in a special session to tell you true.”