Day 20: Lawmakers could be looking at you, Ohio drivers
Good morning and welcome back to 60 Days, your daily guide to the West Virginia Legislature’s regular session.
Today is Monday, January 29, 2024.
It’s Farm Bureau Day at the Legislature and representatives of Fairmont State University will on hand in the Capitol’s Lower Rotunda.
You might notice some snow falling on the Capitol grounds this morning. Shouldn’t pose a huge problem, though. Highs will be in the low 40s.
Today’s Agenda:
Unless I’ve missed something, things should be relatively quiet today as West Virginia lawmakers return to the Capitol following what amounted to a rain-soaked weekend here at your 60 Days listening post in Martinsburg.
It’s Monday and we seem to be getting off to a laid back start to the week of legislating. Although there is a full slate of committee meetings on the schedule for this afternoon, there are none this morning — meaning lawmakers and the reporters that follow them have some extra time on their hands. They don’t necessarily have to be at the Capitol until the floor sessions start at 11 a.m. — a boon to those who face a long drive to Charleston.
The House doesn’t have anything eye-popping on its active calendar today. And neither does the Senate. However, there are a few things worth noting:
The House could send Governor Justice a couple of the tax bills. The measures are on third reading in the House today:
House Democrats may have something to say about H. B. 4350. The House Judiciary Committee advanced a committee substitute to the floor last week. The measure is on second reading, the debate stage of the process. Democrats argue this bill would make it harder to run for public office.
A Senate resolution honoring the life of Edith Levy is back on the Senate’s calendar. Levy was a Holocaust survivor who settled in Morgantown where the resolution says she “dedicated her life to educating others about the horrors of genocide and the importance of tolerance and compassion.” Levy passed away in November at age 93.
And the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee could be set to send Ohio drivers a message. The panel has a proposal on the agenda for its 1 p.m.meeting that seems to be taking that old joke about drivers from Ohio seriously.
S.B. 441 would regulate driving in the left lane on four-lane interstate highways in West Virginia — making it a misdemeanor to drive too slowly in the left lane and establish a fine of no more than $100.00 for a first offense. The fine would increase to no more than $200.00 for a second or subsequent offense within one year of the first violation.
Here’s the rest of the committee schedule:
The House Committee on Government Organization at 1 p.m. in Room 215E.
The House Committee on Finance at 1 p.m. in Room 460. Budget hearings to follow the meeting.
The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee at 2 p.m in Room 208W
The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee at 2pm in Room 451M.
The House Education Committee at 2 p.m. in Room 434.
The House Judiciary Committee at 2:30 p.m. in Room 410.
The Senate Judiciary Committee at 3 p.m. in Room 208W.
The Senate Finance Committee at 3 p.m. in Room 451M.
60 Days links: Reading that’s good for you and good for West Virginia. Click on the links to help support the reporters who work at the state Capitol and elsewhere day in, day out.
Following last week’s public hearing, the House Judiciary Committee has yet to take up the library obscenity bill. Brad McElhinny of WVMetroNews explains what might be going on.
In case you missed it, here’s a story from last week from the Charleston Gazette-Mail’s Mike Tony on the latest court action involving Governor Justice and his businesses. A Virginia judge has denied the Justice family’s effort to avoid a more than $300M debt.
Lawmakers have sent Governor Justice the bill that would decriminalize drug testing strips. Caity Coyne of West Virginia Watch has that story.
And here’s Phil Kabler’s Statehouse Beat column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
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.
Almost forgot! If you’ve got some spare change, why not throw it into the 60 Days coffee fund? We could use the stimulation.