CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has officially called for a special session of the West Virginia State Legislature.

Justice issued the proclamation for the special session on Friday, stating that the legislature is to convene at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 19. The governor’s office says the proclamation lists 15 items for the legislature to consider and act upon during the special session, as well as some new, requested pieces of legislation.

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Breaking News

“The special session I’m calling today isn’t just really important; it’s critical to the health and well-being of some of our state’s most vulnerable people. In my book, restoring budgets for our Departments of Health and Human Services is the most pressing item on the call. We have hundreds of thousands of people in West Virginia who are relying on us right now, including foster kids and those with disabilities. If we don’t restore these funds immediately, it would be a real tragedy with real consequences,” Justice said.

Justice’s proclamation requests that the first item on the list be to restore the Department of Human Services and the Department of Health’s budgets. The governor has been vocal in his semi-weekly administrative briefings that the departments’ budgets should never have been cut in the first place.

According to the governor’s office, the goal of another item on the list is to provide the state’s colleges and universities with more than $80 million to help students impacted by the current issues surrounding the FAFSA program. Justice declared a State of Emergency over the problem in April to temporarily suspend the FAFSA requirements to allow students to qualify for some state financial aid programs.

To read the full proclamation, click here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOWK 13 News.