hello everyone uh it's uh Tuesday September the 4th and we've got some things to go over with you and we'll go through them as quickly as we can and then we'll take your questions but uh we just got back from Chief Logan and uh the state park and and you know there's a connector that we have now that's going to connect you know that uh goes through bear Walla Trail and uh and it's a 4.6 miles of new trails that we have and uh and we we spoke with those great people down there and this is just going to to make things better and draw more and more and more folks to West Virginia you know it was brought up down there that we sold 90,000 990,000 permits this year for our trails and uh it's unbelievable the number of folks that are coming in from you know out of state and and they just keep coming and uh and with all that being said it it makes great Recreation for folks in state as well you know it's a it's a tremendous driver that nobody would have ever ever dreamed it could be possible but it's happening it's happening right now and uh and so we're really really happy and and and this will connect up you know opportunity for for additional B business additional Commerce all over the place so we're really really happy for this and a great thing for the folks in those counties uh today I'm announcing the distribution of $698,000 in Grants you know for juvenile rehabilitation services and Corrections research for 10 projects across the state and everything and uh lots of good stuff going on there and we've all got to remember you know if we're if we're some way somehow helping a kid and everything that's having a really tough way to go and everything it's just it's just we're just better off for it and our Corrections folks our correction folks need to help in every way and uh we're stepping up in a lot of different areas with corrections and we're able to help out I want to talk to you a second about our Revenue numbers you know uh August and SE I'm sorry July and August we absolutely predicted within and that's what we do here that's what we do all the time you know there's no guarantees we all know there's no guarantees but July and August have come in a total of $13 million under budget now last year to give you a a good par parameter to to use July and August came in $20 million above estimate in the scope of things just think about this in the scope of things last year we ended up the year with an $ 826 million surplus $ 826 million now in July and August together we were 20 up and we went up from that 86 more million doar now we feel like that we're still in great shape and the world's good and West Virginia's good and we feel like that September is going to be a really really good month as was last year and then off we went so with all that being said that's why strongly recommending a tax cut for our folks and I'll get into that in just a little while you know about well well I might as well stay with it right now you know but what I I'm going to do is I I want to announce now that that we're that Monday we're going to continue to work and we want to do this for crying out loud the legislature you know truly we've had plenty of time plenty of time to work out our differences in regards to a potential tax cut what whatever it may be that's going to be on the call whether it be daycare or another 5% tax cut or a tax cut in addition you know we've had plenty of time to put together and craft some form of additional tax cut you know we're still just going you know we just are absolutely just kicking the can down the road kicking the can down the road so I'm telling you now that on Monday I'm going to announce our special session before the end of the month and everything and I I'm giving everybody again additional time to get together between now and Monday and let's come to a resolution rather than just continue to Kick the Can our people don't deserve kicking a can now I have given you my word I gave you that two months ago that what I was going to propose is a 5% tax cut if we want to do more than that just tell me how we can do it just absolutely tell me how we can do it but I've given Toby and Edith my word the voters I've given them my word that I'm going to propose that and call people back into a special session now I hope to goodness now I'll make mistakes but I hope to goodness you know that I don't tell you anything that's not the truth and so absolutely Monday I'm going to call a special session and and and that will probably be towards the end of the month and literally we got to get something done we got to get something done for the people just absolutely just hoarding this money and keeping it you know for pet projects or whatever it may be down the road I don't think it's a good idea I don't and I don't really believe in my heart that everybody wants to do that let's come up with something that that is genuinely good for our people and especially at a time when absolutely this inflation is eating everybody's lunch we all know what it's like at the gas pump we all know the grocery stor is what it's like absolutely you go through a drive-thru window and you're just you're just dumb I mean dumbfounded that's all there is to it by the cost of going through a drive-thru window and buying food for for three people or four people it just blows you away so with all that being said let's help out I mean for crying out loud look we've got $400 plus million dollar in the income tax Reserve fund if we want to put some more money in there let's do that you know if that gives us more you know Comfort or warm and fuzzy feeling let's do that and everything but there's a way absolutely to take the dollars of surplus that we have right now and absolutely we got to do something we got to do something more for the people that's all there is to it tomorrow I'm going to be in Beckley we're going to be breaking ground for the new Beckley zway project it's a $5.5 million stretch of highway that runs from shady springs down through beaver and on to Beckley you know all the road you know the congestion on the highways and so on this is a project it'll be fantastic for that area and so we're going to be there announcing that and uh we hope you'll join us that uh you you can get all the details on on our website and everything so go to that please uh this one is a little off off based but uh squirrel season comes in on September 14th and the youth days are the 7th and 8th of September you know I can surely remember growing up with my dad you know taking me squirrel hunting it was a big deal to our family all the time and in fact you know we had a dove hunt on uh Labor Day and and and to be perfectly honest my grandson or our grandson rather JC was there and and and I had the little 1410 that my little Pok stalk that my my my dad you know uh took me with early on and everything and and uh and I I had I I I truly I can remember like it was yesterday the first Quail I ever killed with with you know hunting with my my dad and everything I was in a little broom straw field and single bird got up and I just shot and bang down it went you know now with all that being said you know he was he was with me and we didn't really get many doves but he did get a 10 can and and so uh but we had a big time and and literally it was with my gun the same gun that I shot and got to Quail with and that was a long long long time ago I can assure you that U you know as far as the Herbert Henderson office the minority of Affairs we're continuing to have our Statewide listening tour the next stop is September the 16th in parkerburg please look it up it's great stuff and and very very informative and please look it up and join us okay it's a national suicide Awareness Month in West Virginia and uh you know and today I'm I'm announcing you know that September is going to be that month and and you know and and we're we're I'm going to sign up Proclamation right now and uh and I can just tell you just this we all have got to realize just how many folks that we lose and especially when we lose a child it's just absolutely just rips your gut out and uh and so but when when you know we lose so many and and we've got to be aware you know and you know we've got to notice we just got to absolutely notice folks that uh are really down in their luck and they all the all the warning signs are there you know and uh and sometimes I guess they're not but with all that being said uh you know try to be aware of folks that are really having a hard time and really struggling and uh and especially with our children gosh dog it it it just uh it's just I mean I I don't know how it gets much worse but nevertheless we're going to we're going to S sign this and this is an awareness you know an awareness to be able to try to to to prevent and take action this month and and so here I go signing this Proclamation so that's it this P piece of paper won't do much but at the end of the day if it gets us to just think and it gets us to just be aware and it gets us to really really really try to do anything and everything we can for someone that's struggling some some way whatever it may be mentally we got to watch we got to watch and we got to try to do all we possibly can if we can save one life gosh that's worth who knows beyond belief but nevertheless God bless each and every one of you let's try to do what what we can to try to help and that's all I've got other than your questions please thank you Governor we now take questions for members of the media first up today is Charles young with WV news hi Governor this is Charles young with W news um just to clarify so on Monday you plan on announcing the date of the special session but not the could you talk a little bit about the items that could potentially be on there over the last couple months I I think we've had about half a dozen items that could pot potentially be on this call thanks sir well we want we want something on the call in regard to daycare and the tax relief there if not if not in other ve other vehicles there's other things Charles but uh the main thing is we we got to get a personal income tax cut of some kind you know our people our people need that need that very very badly and and we'll just be announcing a date on Monday of when when I'm going to call them in and uh you know I really I really want to say this but I want I want to part with a a great relationship with the with the the legislature and there's so many good people there it's unbelievable but we we can't continue just to wait I mean we we literally and they've waited on us some there's no question about that you know but at the end of the day really and truly all of us have had time because I announced this two months ago you know all of us have had time to get to something that will work but if we keep trying to get to something that won't work if we keep trying to make it not work well then you know what the answer is to that there's no way and I want at least you know I mean I I am always going to fulfill what I told you I'd do and I told you I'd do this and this exactly what we need to do thank you Charles next up is Mark Cur Curtis with nextstar media good afternoon governor and reporters and staffers uh Governor State Senator Mike Stewart is going to introduce a bill next session that would mandate uh the so-called Guardian caps on football helmets and other contact sports but primarily for elementary middle school and high school football he wants every player to have one and he wants the state to pay for it this de of Coen cratic Je in boom County and this is the the district that Mike represents I I'm wondering if you support legislation for the state to provide uh the guardian caps and whether the state could perhaps use surplus funds to fund this initiative and get every player uh safety Guardian cap Mark you you know me like the back of your hand and uh here's the whole deal there's tragedies as I have said that that happen on our high school middle school maybe even grade school you know playing fields and in practice and whatever it may be all the time you know and it's tragic beyond belief and we want to continue to try to do any and everything we can do to make things better and safer now you know as far as me having an expertise in this I don't have it Mark and uh and I guess what we've got to do is we got to we got to see how how this is going to all play out and and how it's going to how it's going to play out with the legislature first and foremost and uh but Mark I am a th% Allin to try to do anything and everything we can do to protect our kids you know uh honestly if you could if you could just watch one of my practices and everything you'd see exactly just that you know I I truly I Tru truly recognize that there are dangers out there and we absolutely need to do everything we can possibly do to protect I don't know I don't know the right answer but we sure know that you know head injuries concussions and everything and L losing Cohen K you know is uh is is just a eyeopener but it's it's there all the time Mark and we've got to continue to try to do any and everything we can you know I think Mike is uh is you know Senator Stewart is is is trying to step up and say we got to do something we got to do something you know and uh his his uh effort is well intended and I salute it and uh but but I'm not the guy I'm not the guy to uh to come to and say is this a good idea or a bad idea because to be perfectly honest I I'm just I I'm I'm just not well versed enough to know thank you Mark next up is Leah Willingham with the Associated Press apologies she's not on here today next up is Brad mckany with West Virginia metro news oh hi Governor hello hope you're well I hope you are too I've got a child care question for you based on your own experience or what you've heard from your extended family and friends do you consider the affordability and access to child care in West Virginia a major problem a minor problem or not really a problem at all thank you I I think it's a major problem you know um Brad there are lots of folks that are out there that are you know husband and spouse and and a lot of situations you know are you know or husband wife and whichever one you know was staying at home or not staying at home and they and they want to work and they and they you know they they absolutely in many situations are one of them is almost working to pay the child care and it's a the affordability is a national problem we all know that I don't know exactly what we're going to be able to accomplish in West Virginia I know we we we have a tax break that was sitting there that I can't believe we just turned our back on that and we need to do that for sure but uh but Brad it's it's a problem and and it and and here's here's the real deal on top of that is we just stick our head in the sand and we don't do anything about it you know at the end of the day Brad we got to have workers in West Virginia I mean that's all it's to we got to have workers workers have to be young people and young people have kids and uh and so you know I mean it's it's just mindboggling you know when you think about you know fames paying $600 or $700 or whatever it may be you know for a child for a month you know and let's say a family's got two or three children I mean how are they doing it I mean it it is a big- Time problem and uh and so so Brad you know uh I know I know you know what what Jill's doing some or or you know and and Jill's Jill's at home with her kids an awful lot but I know what what kids and and someone that you know that I've coached over the years playing basketball and and and you know I I'm I'm with them all the time you know I I mean and they they their children I mean you know one of the guys that uh that I coached you know now he's he's I don't know 30 years old or whatever like this got a child and his child is three or four years old and he's paying you know5 or $600 a month and he's having a hard time you know it just it's just on and on and on it's a real problem thank you Brad next up is Curtis Johnson with WSAZ hey good afternoon Governor thank you so much for taking my question um last week I asked whether there should be an independent investigation when sport fatality occur since then I've learned the wvssac takes a hands-off approach to helmet certifications telling me the frequency is up to the manufacturer and that getting that certification is the responsibility of each School the director telling me it is up to the individual school not the ssac to make sure helmets are indeed certified given that the wvssac regulates so many aspects of competition that it sanctions do you believe it should play a larger role in making sure every helmet is certified should there be some type of check and balance to make sure the same emphasis placed on game rules is also placed on student athlete safety Okay C I'm gonna try it you you got several parts of your question but they're good you know they're good you know um Curtis we have an ssac for a reason you know they have they give guidance all all across our state to the schools and to sports and on and on and on but there is a reason that they're there you know and there a reason you know how they're put in those positions and it's driven an awful lot by our superintendents you know so so with all that being said Curtis what I would say is just this now now I can tell you from the standpoint of what we go through at our school you know we go through you know coaches have to go through concussion protocol and and tests they take and and on and on and on you know but with all that being said Curtis I don't know how we we remove local control and bring it into a parkerburg control or a chareston control I don't know how we make that I mean I don't know how that makes things better now should they have oversight and should they investigate you know I would be absolutely all for that but we absolutely have got to change rules or whatever it may be to get all that in place because today it may be in place in a different way but we uh you know we need to be able to trust the the folks at the schools you know I'll promise you this that uh that we' we've already had a coaches meeting athletic director and the principal of the school were there you know then from that coaches meeting we have all kinds of directives of things that we have to fill out and do and tests taken and everything else absolutely the warning over and over and over in regard to concussion protocol and everything and this meeting was held you know two or three weeks before the start of the football season you know and so so you know Carter s there's a lot of people in the food chain that are looking at at trying to do anything and everything we can to prevent this terrible accident and terrible happening that that just happened to us so so can we do more of course we can I mean you know if you if you're expecting Jim justice as your Governor to say that's all we could do I don't buy that I don't ever buy that you know really and truly at the end of the day we need to try to do more and if the ssac you know we can get them involved in a bigger way yeah good but absolutely with all in us we should not try to remove the local control because the local control will always do the best you know Curtis I I go back to just what we did with this amendment two thing way back when and maybe it doesn't mean anything to you but really what it boiled down to was Charleston having control or the counties you know I am a real believer local control is better and so so uh so I appreciate your question I hope I've answered it as best I can but uh I've given you my best that I can do Curtis thank you next up is Bethany Sergeant with the Charleston Gazette mail hey Governor best Sergeant with the Gazette mail hey my question is about potential legislation that will address creating a process for releasing certain public information in the event of a child fatality or near fatality uh Dr persley mentioned this potential legislation at interims last week she had her folks were working on it folks with your office and legislators is this something you can get across the Finish Line before you leave at the end of the year given your special session announcement and also in a campaign related question do you have any thoughts on the umwa endorsing your opponent thank you sir uh well Beth let me let me go to the second one you know I really didn't know that to tell you the truth but uh the unwa and I have had a good working relationship and we've had this for a long time and uh you know whether it goes back to Cecil or Joe Carter or whomever it may be you know I I've I've uh I'll I'll always treasure my relationship with the unwa and and and I can see that you know if they've if they've decided to to endorse you know the Democratic candidate and everything most generally they do and uh and if they've decided to do that that's okay with me you know um Beth I'm I'm you know I'm going to win this thing when this thing going away and and I'm not concerned a bit about that but I I am I am telling you that uh you know I I treasure my friendship with the umwa folks and I and I respect their their decision so but uh but in regard to the the bill that you're referring to and your work with secretary personally and everything is you know I I really question whether or not we're you know that that's going to you know that we're going to be able to get that across the finish line and uh but nevertheless you know we uh you know we think that it's ready to go and uh and we'll we'll continue to to work on it and with with uh secretary personally and and uh you know see if we you know see if we can get something that that that works with their legislature thank you Beth governor back to you okay again I appreciate the questions and U and I appreciate Senator Stewart's uh you know um concern you know I don't know that that's the right way to go but it's uh I I do appreciate the concern on last thing I would tell you I just want to make sure you know but uh and and that's just this is uh let me just make absolutely certain here okay last thing I would tell you is just is is just simply just this is at the end of the day what's my biggest job what is my number one responsibility and and you know I have said it over and over and over and over my biggest job is to make sure the econom ICS of this state are right side up absolutely if we want to do what is right for the voters for Toby and Edith if we want to do what's right for them we've got to have the economics right if the economics are upside down you're right where you were when I walked in the door nowhere to turn absolutely just you're talking about an 18 karat dogs mess really and truly when we walked in the door that's where we were and today we got successes all over the place all over the place it's because we managed the store we did exactly what we were supposed to do and that's why I say now now we need to deliver that tax cut that additional tax cut to our people because at the end of the day if we can show the world that we're true truly truly on that pathway to getting rid of our state income tax really doing something more than just cutting the income tax one time we're really on the way to getting rid of our state income tax more people come there is nothing there is nothing that I can do for you nothing in the way in any way that I can do more for you than to tell you that the biggest driver to more goodness in this state hands down get rid of our state income tax get rid of it we can't do it all in one swoop I get that we've got to take care and mine the store properly I get that but absolutely at the end of the day get rid of our state income tax West Virginia absolutely you heard it you heard it first from Jimmy and absolutely with all in me I can tell you that that's the way way you'll drive more job opportunity you'll drive more and more and more goodness to West Virginia in every single way last thing just think about this everybody in two-thirds of the population of this country what are they doing they're driving through West Virginia to get to a state that doesn't have income tax they're driving through a state that has the most unbelievable Beauty pristine air water great people on and on and on natural resources everything under the sun to get to a state that doesn't that doesn't have the personal income tax come on come on just put your thinking cap on absolutely we could capture so much so much we got to start we got to start somewhere we got to keep it really moving we made a big cut we made the biggest in history cut and now we've got a 4% trigger but we can do more and while you can do more do it figure it out we're going to do something we're we're going to try as hard as we can I promise you I love you with all my soul God bless