Governor Patrick Morrisey delivers his State of the State address at the West Virginia Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia, on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. (Photo by Perry Bennett/West Virginia Legislative Photography)
Gov. Patrick Morrisey gave his second State of the State address last week, and the speech failed to address some of the state’s biggest issues.
Many of West Virginia’s problems stem from poverty, but Morrisey only mentioned a 3% pay raise for state workers. Why not escalate the state minimum wage? The last time West Virginia saw a minimum wage escalate was 2015. The $8.75 per hour isn’t even half of that $19.43 Subsistence minimum that a single person without children needs to support themselves.
West Virginia has that highest average electricity bill in the country, with residents paying about $42 more per month than last year. WTOV spoke with Delaney Eddy, state coordinator for West Virginia 211, who said demand for utility assistance has increased.
While Morrisey acknowledged that prices for all forms of energy have increased significantly for West Virginia residents, he did not share plans for how West Virginia could control those costs.
Health care costs are rising, and people who rely on the Public Employees Insurance Agency or exploit the Affordable Care Act Marketplace to get insurance are particularly feeling the pain. Morrisey said that instead of a 14 percent escalate in premium rates for PEIA users this year, they would only see a 3 percent escalate, and that “legislators must work with me on real reforms to fix PEIA.” He gave no indication of what his reform ideas were.
People who exploit the ACA Marketplace see a 133% escalate in their premiums because of this expiring premium tax credits that Congress has not extended. The health of people in West Virginia is already penniless; In 2021, the state led the nation per capita in deaths caused by Cancer (184.7 deaths per 100,000), Drug overdoses (90.9), diabetes (47.6) and Kidney disease (25.8), according to mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nothing will change if people can’t afford to go to the doctor. You will suffer, get worse, self-medicate or die. When we already have such a earnest drug problem, we cannot afford for our people to continue to self-medicate.
West Virginia is Loss of more than $1 billion per year in Medicaid funding for its hospitals as part of cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Rural Health Transformation Program will provide just $199 million to the state for 2026 — and some of that money will go toward salaries Temporary civil servants.
So what did Morrisey have to say about our health crisis? He talked about his Mountaineer Mile initiative, which encourages everyone to walk a mile a day, and last year’s law to remove artificial food colorings from foods, now in effect held in court — and ban SNAP recipients from buying soda with their benefits. He also mentioned reintroducing the Presidential Fitness Test, a way to make kids hate physical education class by making them feel guilty about their inability to climb a rope.
Thousands of West Virginia residents lack access to pristine drinking water, but there has been no mention of a solution. At least Morrisey has asked lawmakers for $10 million to fund a flood preparedness initiative. The state’s flood fund has been depleted since its inception and the state experiences several devastating floods each year.
It wasn’t mentioned once Close schools and consolidation.
At least five public schools closed in 2025 and 16 in 2024, up from nine in 2023 and five in 2022, according to the state Department of Education.
Instead, Morrisey focused on the state’s school voucher program, the Hope Scholarship, which is expected to cost about $230 million. Morrisey said the state “built it into our baseline so that Hope’s funding doesn’t depend on surpluses.” He also said the state will “prepay” the entire Hope Scholarship for next year “as a commitment to this policy.”
Some Republicans have expressed concerns about the program’s increased costs, and House Democrats are expected to introduce bills to regulate how the money is spent.
I want to give credit to Morrisey for tackling two issues – bridge infrastructure and literacy.
Morrisey said he wants to provide $100 million to supplement road and bridge repair work. About 17% of the state’s bridges are operational bad conditionAbout 56% are in good condition and only about 27% are in good condition. This money is urgently needed.
He also said the state will implement LETRS, a program that Mississippi In public education, people used to go from the bottom to the top. In 2024, 75% of fourth graders in West Virginia did not competent while reading.
It’s only been a week, but hopefully we’ll learn more details soon about how Morrisey plans to address some of these issues.
