W.Va. Gov. Justice reveals change of heart on DHHR split

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - From birth to death, the West Virginia’s Department of Health and Human Resources touches every aspect of your life. The mammoth entity also spends more of your tax dollars than any other state agency.

Yet, state lawmakers say its shortcomings are many, including issues with foster care and help for the mentally disabled.

The state Senate has taken quick action this week -- its first vote on Wednesday, 32-1, to reorganize the DHHR.

The proposal, Senate Bill 126, splits DHHR into three different agencies by December -- a Department of Health Facilities, Department of Human Services and a Department of Health.

The senate’s majority leader, Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, told WSAZ it gives each team its own head coach. He used a sporting analogy, explaining it’s more effective than having one head coach for your child’s baseball, basketball and football teams with every game being played at the same time.

“You can give laser focus to the problems in each of those divisions, so that we can streamline it and it benefits the people the most,” he said.

Takubo said other benefits include less red tape for quicker hiring and greater accountability.

“Human nature would say, if you and I are on the same team, I don’t want to blame you and you don’t want to blame me, and at the end of the day, whose hurt by that? It’s the people that’s being served,” he said.

But West Virginia has been here before.

Last year, Gov. Jim Justice vetoed a bill to split DHHR in two. He then paid $1 million in taxpayer funds to the McChrystal Group for a report that in its conclusion, ”disagrees that splitting DHHR into two departments.”

Two months after touting the report, the governor appears to have a change of heart this week in his interview with WSAZ NewsChannel 3 Investigative/Political Reporter Curtis Johnson.

“DHHR. Senate Bill 126. Splitting it into three agencies,” Johnson asked. “Are you for or against that.”

“I’m really not against it,” Justice replied. “You know, a lot of people would say, ‘Ah, Justice, you’ve got to be dead against that,’ and everything. Nope. I’m not. I’m against us jumping and absolutely doing something that may not be good.”

Justice spoke of new leadership at DHHR -- Interim Secretary Jeff Coben, state COVID Czar Clay Marsh and Joint Interagency Task Force Director Jim Hoyer -- calling them “superstars.”

The trio assigned Dec. 12, 2022, to lead DHHR reforms after the retirement of former Secretary Bill Crouch.

“These problems have been here for decades, but as far as dividing it up and everything, I’m not in opposition to that,” Justice told Johnson.

“You vetoed it last year,” Johnson asked in response. “You’re saying you’ll actually sign it this year?”

“It was a very quickly put together thing, that could have been a real mistake,” Justice replied “A two-page, very quickly put together situation last year.”

That proposal was actually eight pages, although it was introduced on the 36th day of last year’s 60-day legislative session.

Yet, Takubo agreed, this year’s bill is better thought out.

“Yeah. I agree,” he told Johnson. “I agree and there’s been a lot more discussion over the past year and a lot more input by folks in the know.”

“Now we’ve had a lot of time and everything, and if the powers that be come to me with something that makes decent sense and everything, I’ll be on board because like I’ve said, I solicit all the good ideas,” Justice told Johnson.

“So you see Senate Bill 126 as different from what past last year?” Johnson asked in response.

“It could very well be,” Justice said. “You know, I haven’t looked at it and everything in detail yet.”

Takubo said he believes Justice is “hands in” on reforming the agency.

“He wants to see West Virginia better, just as we want to see West Virginia better, and DHHR is tackling some of the most difficult problems that we’re facing,” he said.

Senate Bill 126 now awaits action in the state House.

Delegate Amy Summers, chairwoman of House Health and Human Resources, tells WSAZ NewsChannel 3 that she remains in conversation with the governor’s office and her committee will take up an identical bill on Tuesday.

In other legislative news, Justice’s 50% cut in the state’s income tax has advanced from committee and was received on the House floor Friday morning.

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