Release from office of the Governor:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Jim Justice said Tuesday that his goal is to support West Virginia fairs and festivals by increasing the tourism budget.
He stressed that more than $4 million in cuts to the state’s fairs and festivals can be alleviated if the Legislature acts on his Save Our State (S.O.S) plan.
The Governor’s S.O.S plan places an emphasis on additional funding to promote the state’s tourism industry. Justice is calling on the legislature to double West Virginia’s tourism advertising budget.
“We’ve already cut all the low hanging waste in government, and I’ve warned West Virginians that any more budget cuts we make will be extremely painful, especially cuts to our fairs and festivals,” said Governor Jim Justice. “I hate to hurt community events, but the budget crisis demands difficult choices. Believe me, the cuts I’ve laid out were not easy decisions. My plan is to support fairs and festivals through the Division of Tourism.”
The Governor added, “If the legislature fails to adopt my plan to bring prosperity to West Virginia, there will be even bigger cuts that will damage our state further. If the House and Senate follow my lead we can grow revenue and support for fairs and festivals with tourism dollars; if they go the other direction, cuts to fairs and festivals will only be the tip of the iceberg.”
