Funding of Approx. $400,000 had been promised to Boy Scouts but was not put in FY18 budget by State Legislature
Reckless budget by Legislature nearly stopped critical Scouts projects
CHARLESTON, WV - Gov. Jim Justice has decided to use money from his office’s contingency fund to assist the Boy Scouts of America and community volunteers so they can perform work on hundreds of Community Service projects across West Virginia during the National Jamboree starting this week at The Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County.
Funding for this program, that is administered by the Citizens Conservation Corps for the Boy Scouts of America, had been promised to the Boy Scouts of America but was not included in the FY 2018 budget passed by the State Legislature. It is estimated by the CCC that the projects will have an economic impact in West Virginia of more than $7 million. Had the Governor not stepped in with the funds the entire program would have been jeopardized.
Because of the failure of the Legislature to approve the Governor’s Save Our State Fund, Justice had to use contingency money so the work of the Boy Scouts could continue uninterrupted.
“We simply must stand with the Boy Scouts and give them the support they need to make a difference in communities across West Virginia,” said Gov. Justice. “Citizens in hundreds of locations throughout West Virginia have been planning for months and are relying on the tens of thousands of Boy Scouts and volunteers to make these significant upgrades in their communities. We have to take advantage of this opportunity. More than half a million hours of donated work will make a huge impact in our towns and communities. It really is a no-brainer for me to approve this because we will be receiving millions of dollars in benefits from it.”
In 2013, during the first National Jamboree held in West Virginia, over 350 projects were completed in nine counties. The Boy Scouts of America and CCC said at the time it was the largest community service project to ever be conducted in our country. This year’s efforts have been expanded to include locations all over the Mountain State.