Gov. Justice ranks 33rd in economic freedom ranking – The Center Square

(The Center Square) West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice ranked 33rd in a report that ranked every governor on his or her adherence to economic freedom and economic success, which places him in the bottom one-fourth of the country.

The report, conducted by the Americans Legislative Exchange Council, divided their ranking into three main categories: executive policy rank, economic performance rank and fiscal policy rank. Justice ranked 18th in the country for executive policies, but fell to 30th in fiscal policy and 47th in economic performance.

Gov. Justices below average ranking in the Governors Scorecard is due largely to West Virginias longtime position in trailing other states in economic performance in areas such as interstate migration and education quality, Jonathan Williams, ALECs chief economist and executive vice president of policy, told The Center Square.

Gov. Justices ranking is also brought down by the states welfare dependency -- a greater than average amount of state resources funding Medicaid and other welfare programs, Williams said. High per capita spending in West Virginia is another negative factor that brings Gov. Justice down in the rankings. However, Gov. Justice has made some impressive progress by signing a historic education freedom bill last year, which was championed in the legislature by Senator Patricia Rucker, and advocating for the elimination of a state income tax. We expect his ranking to improve in future years.

West Virginia ranked 47th for its unemployment rate, 44th in education quality, 35th in interstate migration and 34th in gross state product growth, which contributed to its low economic performance rating.

The state has high per-capita spending, ranking the seventh highest, and ranked the 20th highest for federal unemployment benefits. The state also ranked outside the top half for having a slightly higher than average personal income tax and corporate tax. However, the state had relatively low debt, ranking 16th lowest in this category. These factors contributed to the states fiscal policy ranking.

West Virginia also ranked as having the sixth highest welfare dependency, but had the sixth most education freedom and the least amount of union control, which led to its executive policy rank.

Garrett Ballengee, the executive director of the free-market Cardinal Institute, told The Center Square that West Virginia should pursue policies that increase economic freedom, which he said is the foundation of widespread prosperity.

West Virginia is not only in competition with neighboring states and its reputation for hostility to job creators but also the entire world -- we are but one small part in a global economy, Ballengee said. West Virginia should continue to look for ways to lower taxes, continue its drive towards cutting red tape and size of government, and ensure a level playing field for entrepreneurs and businesses looking to expand or locate in West Virginia. The record of history is quite clear that greater economic freedom equals a healthier, more prosperous society. West Virginia has made great strides in many of these areas in recent years, but it must double down."

The governors office did not respond to a request for comment.

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Gov. Justice ranks 33rd in economic freedom ranking - The Center Square