West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey Reviews 2025 Achievements and Future Plans

Reflecting on 2025: Challenges and Resilience

• 😔 The year 2025 brought hardships, including devastating floods in southern West Virginia and Ohio County, and a tragic incident at a mine in Nicholas County.
• 💔 The loss of Sarah Beck with the West Virginia National Guard to a terrorist attack was a profound tragedy, with prayers and support continuing for her recovery and for Andrew.
• 💪 Despite challenges, West Virginia demonstrated its resilience and community spirit, embodying the motto "West Virginia takes care of our own."

Economic Development: A Top Priority

• 📈 Economic development was the administration's number one priority, focusing on removing obstacles through a competitive tax package, cutting red tape, and investing in people.
• ✂️ Initiatives like the "backyard brawl" executive order aimed to challenge state agencies to compete better, leading to progress in cutting red tape and eliminating waste.
• 🏗️ The one-stop shop permitting bill and the universal licensing bill are designed to streamline processes and attract more contractors, addressing the critical need to grow the workforce and population.
• 💡 House Bill 2014, focusing on microgrids and data centers, is highlighted as a significant economic development bill with potential for major announcements.

Infrastructure and Investment

• ⚡ The 50 by 50 initiative has already spurred 1.85 gigawatts of new energy announcements, signaling customer interest from data centers and manufacturing facilities.
• 🌐 A $546 million initiative for broadband expansion aims to bring reliable high-speed connectivity to underserved areas, enhancing opportunities for telehealth, education, and remote work.
• 🛣️ Significant investments in transportation infrastructure, including $100 million for roads and bridges, and over $75 million for water, sewer, site selection, and remediation, are crucial for attracting businesses.
• 🔋 West Virginia is positioned to become America's energy state, leveraging its resources to meet future technology and data center needs, and driving an energy renaissance.

Healthcare and Workforce Improvements

• ❤️ A focus on improving healthcare in West Virginia includes a rural health transformation application, aiming to address issues like diabetes, obesity, and COPD.
• 🧑‍⚕️ The goal is to create a healthier population, leading to higher workforce participation, stronger communities, and reduced strain on the healthcare system.
• 💰 Initiatives to help West Virginians find health and purpose, including efforts to increase SNAP and Medicaid participation, are ongoing.
• 🧑‍🏫 A pay raise for state workers, teachers, and school service personnel was implemented, and efforts are underway to reform PIA (Public Employees Insurance Agency) to ensure fiscal responsibility.

Foundational Principles and Future Outlook

• 🎓 The administration is committed to meritocracy, rooting out DEI initiatives, and focusing on competence in hiring and opportunities.
• ⚖️ The Riley Gains Act is highlighted in the context of protecting women's sports, with a Supreme Court case pending.
• 🚀 West Virginia is actively working on its comeback story by focusing on fundamentals, cutting red tape, and being nimble to compete effectively.
• 📈 Governor Morrisey expressed optimism for continued growth and larger achievements in the coming year, emphasizing the importance of managing the budget prudently and returning value to the people.