Day 1: And...we're off.
Today marks the kick off to the legislative session. But, really, it's all about the State of the State.
Good morning from Morgantown, where the weather has been downright miserable lately. While we may have avoided the snow that rocked Giles’s house over the weekend, it’s been mostly cold, rainy and windy. So much so that driving to get a haircut yesterday felt like playing a video game.
This coming weekend, I head to Iowa to help the NPR crew cover the Caucuses. The weather there is supposed to be even worse. There’s already snow on the ground around Des Moines and, the low on Caucus Night on Monday will be -17 degrees (I hope you noticed the negative sign). The current forecast shows the high — for the whole time I’ll be there — is expected to be a brisk 3 degrees.
I’ve already got my radio gear and long underwear packed, so you better be tuning into NPR (presumably via West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where both Giles and I cut our teeth in the public radio news world) to hear the coverage. Giles will be picking up the slack on the newsletter in my absence, so you’ll be in good hands.
Speaking of our real jobs, NPR Newscasts (known as NPR News Now on podcasting platforms) just dethroned The New York Times’ “The Daily” as the most listened-to podcast, according to Podtrac rankings.
And just like you can subscribe to podcasts, you can do the same with 60 Days. And in case you’re feeling extra kind and also want to help motivate us, you can make a pledge. We want to expand this newsletter beyond the 60 days of a legislative session, but would like to see if there’s support for that first. Make a pledge and let us know what you think.
While you’re at it, you can also make a donation to NPR or your local public radio station. I figure pointing you to that page is the least we can do, given our perpetual begging for coffee donations (don’t worry, that comes later).
Today is January 10, 2024. It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for (or maybe dreading, to some degree): Day 1 of the Second Regular Session of the 86th West Virginia Legislature.
The House of Delegates and state Senate will gavel in today at noon to officially kick things off.
To be honest, there’s not much that happens on the first day of the session in terms of actual legislating. Sure, bills will be introduced. But, really, Day 1 is all about organizing things and letting the public know what’s coming down the pike.
Lawmakers will officially be sworn in, committee assignments will be announced and leaders from each party will begin to lay out their respective agendas.
There’s also another agenda that’ll be revealed: that of Gov. Jim Justice.
Tonight at 7 p.m., Justice will deliver his final State of the State Address. You can watch it live online through West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which will be feeding it to other news networks across the state.
Gov. Justice has been known for some headline-making State of the State addresses. Think back two years ago when his pooch’s hind-end became a prop that was aimed at actress Bette Midler.
Justice is bound to boast about revenue surpluses during his tenure as governor. The latest figures released by the administration puts collections for FY24 (which ends June 30) more than $406 million above estimates.
But a bit of a caveat: the governor’s office and appointed revenue officials set revenue estimates. So critics might argue any surpluses are a product of artificially low estimates. Either way, I’d expect the governor to point out those numbers as a win for his administration.
Despite being in the final year as a term-limited governor, Justice will still be angling for voters in his speech, as the State of the State is a perfect opportunity for some earned media in his primary race against Rep. Alex Mooney for U.S. Senate.
One other thing we’re going to try to keep an eye on this session that might be related to tonight’s address: The 60 Days editorial board (me and Giles) has decided to try to see what kinds of national trends the West Virginia Legislature is or isn’t part of. If we see similar proposals in other states, we’ll try to point that out and make better sense of it all.
Join us on our Substack chat at 7 p.m. when Justice begins his speech from a new and improved — and hopefully less terrifying House chamber, according to House communications director Ann Ali.
60 Days Links:
Governor Justice will be delivering his State of the State address from a newly renovated House of Delegates chamber. The project cost more than $2-million. Here’s a series of photos of the revamped digs from Kenny Kemp at the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
Speaking of the upcoming elections and legislative news, Caity Coyne of West Virginia Watch noted that Justice appointed Charleston attorney J.B. Akers to the House seat left behind by Moore Capito as Capito makes a bid for the governor’s mansion.
In terms of what will be on the legislative agenda, a rising number of inmate deaths at state jails and prisons might be one item. Mike Tony of the Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that 19 inmates died at the Southern Regional Jail from March 2021 to March 2023.
That does it for me this morning.
We’ll be back in your inbox every morning that lawmakers will be at work during the next 60 days.
Oh, we almost got out of here without making a shameless plea for coffee donations. At the very least, I’ll need some to stay warm when I get to Iowa.
Resources:
For a direct connection to League of Women Voters of West Virginia, go to LWVWV.org
The one shown goes to LWV.org, the national LWV, although embedded within the link is a link to LWVWV.org. Thank you!