CHARLESTON — Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced late Sunday night that his administration is nearing the end of its legislative bill review process, signaling the close of a busy session and underscoring a strong stance on fiscal accountability.
“After many days of reviewing bills, we are near the end of the review process,” Morrisey said in a statement. “We have already signed (with some about to be filed) 161 bills this session.”
The governor noted that 48 additional bills have been approved and are expected to be signed and filed in the coming days. Meanwhile, 40 bills remain under close examination as his office continues to evaluate their potential impact and merits.
“We continue to research them and see whether there are adequate arguments to approve these bills to determine whether they should become law,” Morrisey said.
In a pointed message to legislators, Morrisey stressed that future proposals seeking to spend taxpayer dollars will face increased scrutiny unless accompanied by offsetting savings.
“For the future, folks should know that if your bill costs taxpayers money and you haven’t provided an offset (a saver) for your proposed program, the odds of your initiative getting approved will be slim,” he said. “We work for the taxpayers and should never forget that fact. Taxpayers must be respected.”
The legislative session’s end-of-cycle review marks a critical phase where the governor can sign, veto or allow bills to become law without his signature.
