Governor Tomblin Commends Legislature on the Passage of Senate Bill 469

Statement

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin today issued the following statement after the State Senate passed SB 469 relating to Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB), the state's last unfunded liability, by unanimous vote. The House of Delegates passed the legislation Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012.

"With the passage of SB 469, West Virginia takes a monumental step forward and leads the nation in addressing OPEB. This legislation has been years in the making. I want to express my sincere appreciation to all of those who have worked diligently to make sure the promises we made, and continue to make, to our hard working employees are kept with our taxpayers in mind.

"The passage of SB 469 solves West Virginia's last unfunded liability. As a former Senate Finance Chair and then President of the State Senate, I have fought to put our state's finances in order because I truly believe we work for the taxpayers of this great state and we must respect their trust.

"As I said in my State of the State Address, West Virginia has risen from the brink of bankruptcy to become a beacon of fiscal health. The passage of SB 469 is proof that we have adopted a mindset of fiscal responsibility and it has and will continue to make all of the difference as we work together to move West Virginia forward."

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