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Gov. Jim Justice has until midnight on March 27, 2024 to sign bills from the recently completed legislative session. He is facing pressure to veto one of those bills, HB 5105, which would relax vaccination requirements for children in school.
Gov. Jim Justice has until midnight on March 27, 2024 to sign bills from the recently completed legislative session. He is facing pressure to veto one of those bills, HB 5105, which would relax vaccination requirements for children in school.
Governor’s Office video broadcast
This is an undated contributed photo of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.
Gov. Jim Justice is facing a tight deadline to sign bills that were approved in the 2024 legislative session.
Justice has until midnight Wednesday to finish signing bills, with several key pieces of legislation hanging in the balance.
During an administrative briefing on Tuesday, the governor said he has still not decided if he will sign House Bill 5105, which would loosen vaccination requirements for students in public schools across the state.
The legislation would remove vaccination mandates for students enrolled in public virtual, private and parochial schools, except those engaged in sanctioned athletic activities overseen by the West Virginia Secondary School Athletics Commission.
Additionally, the bill incorporates provisions for religious exemptions, granting parents or guardians the ability to refrain from vaccination requirements on grounds of religious conviction.
The introduction of the bill ignited considerable controversy, with critics in the fields of health and education expressing concern about the resurgence of disease as a result of potential lowered immunization levels.
“I’m very, very close to reaching a decision. I understand both sides,†Justice said. “I think I understand it really, really well. If you’ll just give me till tomorrow.â€
Justice: I’ll sign PEIA bill
While he was uncertain about the bill governing immunizations, Justice said he does plan to put his signature to a bill that would address issues in the Public Employee Insurance Agency.
addresses transparency, reimbursement standards, and data reporting requirements for pharmacy benefit managers in West Virginia, with a focus on protecting the interests of pharmacies and ensuring cost-effective practices within PEIA.
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are companies that act as third-party administrators of prescription drug programs for commercial health plans, self-insured employer plans, Medicare Part D plans, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and state government employee plans like the Public Employees Insurance Agency.
On more than one occasion prior to this year’s legislative session, lawmakers heard testimony from representatives of the state’s pharmacies, who reported that smaller pharmacies are losing money due to the reimbursement and transparency policies of PBMs contracted by the state.
“I’m planning on signing it, but we’re still reviewing and looking at lots and lots of bills,†Justice said.
What’s next
There are more than 100 bills remaining to be signed. If Justice doesn’t sign HB5105, SB 453 or any passed legislation, the bill (or bills) would automatically become law without his signature.
“There’s an awful lot of these bills that got down to us really late. It takes time for our folks to get through all these bills,†Justice said. “It’s a process. That’s why we have through tomorrow. That’s why the Legislature got to the very last day and we didn’t really have a budget. We didn’t have a whole lot of things.â€
Roger Adkins covers politics. He can be reached at 304-348-4814 or email radkins@hdmediallc.com. Follow on X.
