A proposed $50 million for a new, state-of-the-art agriculture lab for West Virginia State University did not make it across the finish line in the final version of the state budget during the regular legislative session. Eyewitness News said WVSU President Ericke Cage is now looking to a potential special session to reconsider.
The agriculture lab funding was proposed initially by Governor Jim Justice in his State of the State address and was in both initial budgets from the House and Senate but was not in the final version. Though the school does agriculture research and projects, Cage said WVSU is the only land grant institution in the country without an actual school. A spokesperson for the governor told Eyewitness News on Monday that West Virginia State’s lab could be brought back for consideration.