By Roger Adkins, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice has vetoed a bill that would have allocated money for Alzheimer’s research but said he plans to ask the legislature to address the issue during a special session later this spring.
House Bill 5014 was the first piece of legislation vetoed by the governor from the recently concluded 2024 regular legislative. Among other things, the bill would have allocated $2 million to the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University for research into ultrasound technology aimed at combating disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.
In his veto message, Justice wrote that he supported the cause but felt the bill was ambiguous and lacking context.
“While I wholeheartedly support our hospitals and medical centers and the advancement of vital medical care for the citizens of West Virginia, these two appropriations direct the grant of large sums of money with little context or direction for the use of such funding,” the governor wrote in his veto message. “The language of the bill is ambiguous as to the Legislature’s intent and just what types of research may be funded from this appropriation, and no context or background has been provided to date to my Office regarding this appropriation.”
According to Justice, lawmakers will be asked to take up the issue again when they consider amendments to the Fiscal Year 2025 budget bill, possibly during a special legislative session in April.
