Day 16: It's late so we're giving up on a decent headline
Which means it's probably time for a headline writing contest. Have at it in the comments
Good morning and welcome back to 60 Days, your daily guide to the West Virginia Legislature’s regular session.
Today is Thursday, January 25, 2024, the 16th day of the regular legislative session.
Today is Veterans Appreciation Day at the Legislature. And the Mountaineer Challenge Academy Color Guard will make an appearance in the House Chamber.
If you’re planning to be at the Capitol, take an umbrella. Rain is in Charleston’s forecast, but at least you can take the opportunity to throw the long johns in the laundry. You might need them again this winter, but not today. Highs will be near 60 — a far cry from last week.
Today’s Agenda:
Both the House and Senate will gavel in at 11 a.m. this morning for their respective floor sessions. You can find what’s on the House’s to-do list here and the Senate’s calendar is here.
Notable:
SB 269 is moving at a quick clip through the House. After passing the Senate Tuesday, the measure — which would exclude drug testing strips from the definition of drug paraphernalia — will be at the amendment stage on the floor. House lawmakers skipped committee references yesterday and read the bill a first time, setting the measure up for passage this week.
HB 4759 is another one on our radar. The measure would force most business owners to check applicants’ work eligibility through E-Verify, a system maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The aim is to crack down on undocumented workers in West Virginia. That bill is also on the amendment stage on the House floor today. Mountain State Spotlight’s Henry Culvyhouse was there when the E-Verify measure was advanced by the House Judiciary Committee
The coronavirus pandemic may be over but the fight over masking is not. The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee has a bill on its agenda today that would prohibit businesses from having their licenses revoked for not requiring masks. HB4567 was introduced by Del. Chris Pritt (R-Kanawha). The committee is meeting at 1 p.m. You can find the panel’s complete agenda here.
Catch up with Senate President Craig Blair (R-Berkeley). He is expected to appear live this morning on his home district radio station — Talkradio WRNR in Martinsburg. He's booked for 8am. You can listen here. Or watch on the station’s Facebook page here.
Here’s the rest of the committee schedule for today:
9:15 a.m. - House Senior, Children and Family Issues Committee
9:15 a.m. - House Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services Committee
10 a.m. - Senate Education Committee
10 a.m. - Senate Government Organization Committee
10:45 a.m. - House Rules Committee
3 p.m. - House Technology and Infrastructure Committee
3 p.m. - Senate Judiciary Committee
60 Days links: We’re helping to get eyeballs on the work that the reporters at the state Capitol and elsewhere do every day. By my count, 60 Days has generated nearly 200 link clicks since the beginning of the legislative session. It’s a small but important thing to do to. Your decision to read what’s on the other side of a link we provide helps support journalism in West Virginia.
Since there is a lot of interest in yesterday’s public hearing in the House Chamber, we decided to offer a variety of coverage. Brad McElhinny of WVMetroNews has this story on the hearing. And here’s coverage from Mountain State Spotlight and The Charleston Gazette-Mail.
The House of Delegates passed a bill that allows for at-home production of moonshine. The lower chamber also cleared a bill that would restrict the delivery of unsolicited absentee ballots. Roger Adkins of The Charleston Gazette-Mail has more on those measures.
A bill that would boost oversight of West Virginia’s child welfare system is up for passage in the House today. La Shawn Pagán of Mountain State Spotlight reports the measure may keep some information out of public view.
And gender-affirming care was a big issue in Charleston last year. And it’s been a big fight in Ohio, where Republican lawmakers have overridden the Republican Governor’s veto of a bill that would restrict health care for transgender kids. This story in the Columbus Dispatch suggests the fight may not be over.
Resources:
Know of any bills we should be keeping tabs on? Any events, press conferences, etc., we should know about? Tell us about them in the comments.