A day after being sworn in as West Virginia’s 37th governor, Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed 10 executive orders, including one to allow religious exemptions for vaccinations. (West Virginia Office of the Gov. Patrick Morrisey | Courtesy photo)
On his second day in office, Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued a stack of executive orders that offer religious exemptions to school vaccinations, eliminate any diversity initiatives in state government and more.
The 10 executive orders also dealt with defining gender and getting to work on eliminating government waste. Morrisey, a Republican, expects a state budget deficit by next year.
“I think it’s really important that we demonstrate that we have a team in place that’s going to be aggressive, proactive and we’re going to begin this transformational process to put West Virginia first and be that shining state in the mountains,” he said, addressing reporters at the state Capitol on Tuesday.
Morrisey said he will direct state health officials to offer a religious exemption to the state’s school-age immunization requirements. West Virginia has been one of only a handful of states that didn’t offer a religious exemption to school-age immunizations; as a result of its strict vaccine policies, more than 95% of children entering school are fully vaccinated.
Last year, former Gov. Jim Justice vetoed a narrow vaccination exemption bill, citing the concerns of medical professionals about “crippling childhood immunity” in a state with poor health outcomes for kids.
Morrisey said that the exemption will be implemented through the Equal Protection for Religion Act, a bill signed by Justice in 2023.
“I think most West Virginians care very deeply that our citizens have religious beliefs, and we also know that the First Amendment to our Constitution has specific clauses calling for free association,” Morrisey said, adding that a requested religious exemption would have to meet definition of the Equal Protection measure.
He expects legislation in the upcoming legislative session will further clarify the vaccination exemption.
“I think that legislation clarifying this is important, because when the Equal Protection for Religious Act was passed, it didn’t amend specific laws. So, the vaccine laws stand alone,” Morrisey said.
Del. Evan Worrell, new chair of the House Committee on Health, commended Morrisey for the executive order.
“This order reflects our shared commitment to protecting individual rights while fostering trust in our health care system,” said Worrell, R-Cabell. “Vaccines have played a critical role in safeguarding public health, but I believe that health decisions should remain a matter of personal choice, made in consultation with medical professionals. It is vital that we balance public health goals with the principles of freedom and transparency.”
Newly-appointed Senate Health Committee Chair Laura Wakim Chapman said she was pleased to see Morrisey taking a “proactive approach” on the issue.
“The Legislature has wanted some religious protections for this issue for years, and I’m excited to see that this is a priority for Gov. Morrisey,” said Chapman, R-Ohio.
She said there will be other bills introduced this session that would offer additional exemptions to childhood vaccination requirements.
DEI: Diversity initiatives squashed, Democrats push back
Morrisey also issued an executive order terminating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in state government or entities receiving state funding. President-elect Donald Trump, backed by Morrisey, banned DEI initiatives in the federal government in 2020; President Joe Biden reversed course and asked agencies to develop DEI plans.
DEI initiatives are happening within state government, Morrisey said, though he did not name specific agencies.
“We are expressly sending a letter to all of our cabinet officials and agency heads and indicating that there should be a review of any potential DEI that may exist within state government,” he said.
Morrisey called for a review of any recruiting or retention policies that may give an “inappropriate preferences” for race, sex and more.
Those have been “used and manipulated in the past,” Morrisey said. “We’re also going to ensure … that we’re not spending money for dollars that flow from hard-earned taxpayer dollars for DEI purposes,” he added.
Some House Democrats pushed back on the plan, including Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle. He said Morrisey was creating a “DEI boogeyman that doesn’t exist.”
“First and foremost we want to work with Gov. Morrisey on initiatives to push West Virginia forward but his recent executive orders gives us grave concern he is taking us backward and isn’t thinking about all West Virginians,” he said, adding that he’d like to instead see Morrisey focus on the state’s nearly-bottom ranking in public education.
Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, said the state’s ongoing poor outcomes happened while Morrisey was part of the supermajority’s rule in West Virginia.
“Yet, for the past 10 years we rank 50th in job growth rate, 49th in personal income, 49th in workforce participation and dead last in infrastructure,” he said. “Today he announced he would rather bring back polio before bringing back jobs. It’s clear he keeps repeating the term ‘woke’ to distract the fact that he and the supermajority have been asleep at the wheel for a decade.”
Morrisey will grapple with budget issues left by Justice
Other executive orders dealt with setting school choice as an administration priority and working with Congress to designate fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
Additionally, Morrisey said he’ll launch an “economic backyard brawl,” which will launch a campaign-talking point in which the governor wants to examine how the state’s tax regulations, workforce rules, licensing and more match up with neighboring states.
“I’m a big believer that if we can have freer, more dynamic policies compared to our neighbors, we’re going to succeed,” he said.
Morrisey will review outdated executive orders and past, present and projected spending decisions as he prepares a budget for lawmakers to review. The legislative session begins Feb. 12.
He has proposed another state income tax cut, but it is not yet paid for, according to Morrisey. His administration will review a number of recent economic announcements under Justice, and nonfinalized contracts could be eliminated as he seeks to save money.
“Remember, there’s been a lot of spending in the last few months, so we’re going to be analyzing that to the rocket ship ride,” he said, referencing Justice’s promised-rocket ship ride during his time as governor that would improve West Virginia.
He plans to share more information about his proposed budget Thursday at the Capitol.
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