Governor Morrisey Announces Disaster Relief Grant and Back-to-School Tax Holiday

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey made two separate public announcements in late July and early August 2026. One involved a $3 million grant from the Governor's Civil Contingent Fund directed to West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) to support relief efforts for residents recovering from disasters. The other was the announcement of the state's annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, made during a stop in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. The disaster relief grant is set to be dispersed in $1 million tranches to VOAD for ongoing recovery assistance. The sales tax holiday began at midnight on July 31 and ran through August 3, exempting shoppers from the state's 6% sales tax on certain qualifying school-related items. Morrisey framed the tax holiday as a measure intended to ease financial costs for families ahead of the school year. Both initiatives originate from the governor's office, but they are unrelated in scope and purpose—one addressing disaster recovery funding and the other consumer tax relief. Specific details such as the total value of tax savings from the holiday, the criteria for VOAD's use of the disaster grant funds, and long-term outcomes of either program are not addressed in the available reporting.