DHHR head owns part of health care lobbying firm, documents show
Documents show the head of the state Department of Health and Human Resources still owns a portion of a lobbying firm that petitions the agency he now heads, and he communicated with lobbyists who were formerly his partners on pending legislation that would affect the business.
Bill Crouch, appointed by Gov. Jim Justice as secretary of the DHHR earlier this year when Justice came into office, issued a statement Wednesday saying no conflict of interest exists between himself and the Bill J. Crouch and Associates health care lobbying and consulting firm.
“When Governor Jim Justice asked me to serve as Cabinet Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) in December of last year, I was retired,” the statement reads. “I sold my business to my former partners in June of 2016. My only focus is the State of West Virginia, with the promise to protect our most vulnerable citizens and ultimately improve the health and well-being of all West Virginians.”
However, the West Virginia Ethics Commission found Crouch still had a financial interest in the business by way of 20-percent ownership when it issued an advisory opinion April 6.
- See more at: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20170603/dhhr-head-owns-part-of-health-care-lobbying-firm-documents-show
