Day 29: Remember the raw milk debacle from 2016? The issue is making a return.
And it's Black Policy Day at the Capitol
Good morning and welcome back to 60 Days, your daily guide to the West Virginia Legislature’s regular session.
Today is February 7, 2024 — the 29th day of the legislature’s regular session. Today is also Black Policy Day at the Capitol.
While it’s a relatively new lobby day (it’s rooted in a 2020 questionnaire from the independent publication Black By God), the consortium of groups behind the initiative have gained momentum in recent years.
Leaders of West Virginia’s Black Community have for some time pushed for non-discrimination legislation such as the CROWN Act. While that bill — which seeks to end discrimination based on hair styles — remains a priority at the heart of Black Policy Day, it’s not the only issue that organizers will be lobbying lawmakers about. Everything from criminal justice reform to clean water to education are all issues Black West Virginians are hoping to influence.
If you’re looking to learn more, Black Policy Day organizers have put together an online brochure that details the history of their work and current legislative priorities.
It’s worth a look.
Today’s Agenda:
You might remember the raw milk incident of 2016. It made headlines across the country. Several lawmakers fell ill after drinking unpasteurized milk in a celebratory gesture following the legislature’s move to legalize its consumption. It’s not clear if raw milk was the culprit, though. A stomach bug was apparently going around the Capitol at the time. An investigation by state health officials was inconclusive.
Anyway, the raw milk issue is back. The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee has H.B. 4911 on its agenda for the panel’s meeting at 9:15 a.m. today. The bill would allow raw milk to be sold in West Virginia as long as containers are clearly labeled. It would also give raw milk producers immunity from civil liability.
H.B 4736 is another bill that would expand raw milk sales. It has yet to turn up on the House Agriculture Committee’s agenda.
Here’s the rest of today’s Committee Schedule:
9:15 a.m. – House Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse
9:30 a.m. – House Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence
10 a.m. - Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources
10 a.m. – House Workforce Development Committee
1 p.m. – House Finance
1 p.m. – House Judiciary
1 p.m. - Senate Economic Development
2 p.m. – House Education
2 p.m. - Senate Outdoor Recreation
2 p.m. - Senate Pensions
3 p.m. - Senate Judiciary
3 p.m. - Senate Finance
3 p.m. – House Government Organization
Both the House and Senate will gavel in at 11 a.m. for their daily floor sessions.
Notable bills on the House’s docket include:
H. B. 4851, which is up for a full vote of the House today. The bill would allow for public and private schools in West Virginia to employ security personnel.
H.B. 4885 will be on the amendment stage. The measure would make it illegal for a pedestrian to “intentionally or recklessly” impede traffic on roadways.
H. B. 5298 will also be on second reading. The measure would prohibit a candidate who didn’t win a party’s nomination in a primary from seeking the same office with a different party in a general election. Remember Don Blankenship’s run for U.S. Senate in 2018? He ran for the GOP nomination, lost and then tried to make the general election ballot on a Constitution Party ticket. Well, Blankenship running for U.S. Senate again — this time seeking the party’s nomination as a Democrat.
Looking across the rotunda to the Senate’s floor schedule, there’s not much that’s controversial or noteworthy. But there is this one:
S. B. 441 is on first reading. That measure would restrict driving in the left lane of multi-lane highways in West Virginia. Because of its spot on first reading today, there likely won’t be any floor speeches ranting about Ohio drivers. But it’ll likely come up for passage by the end of the week — and there’s a time and place for everything (including West Virginia statehouse floor speeches focused on Ohio drivers).
Looking ahead to tomorrow:
The latest public hearing may not be scheduled for today, but we thought it’d be a good idea to flag it now. The House Judiciary Committee will be hosting the session’s third public hearing on Thursday to hear from the public on the Women’s Bill of Rights.
The bill is viewed with disdain by members of the LGBTQ community. The civil rights advocacy organization Fairness WV calls it a “fake” bill of rights, arguing it would marginalize transgender people.
Governor Justice is among the proposal’s champions. He endorsed it during a press conference when Riley Gaines was at the Capitol earlier this session. She is a conservative activist and former collegiate swimmer who is opposed to transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
The bill was debated at length in House Judiciary this week. Republicans rejected a Democratic amendment that would have included equal pay.
The hearing is set for tomorrow, Thursday, February 8 at 8:30 a.m. in the House Chamber. We’ll remind you tomorrow.
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 day in, day out.
Brad McElhinny of WVMetroNews has a recap of last night’s debate among the four top Republican candidates for governor. It was held at Glade Springs Resort in Daniels.
The House of Delegates passed HB 5018 yesterday. That measure would restrict the usefulness of community air monitoring data in lawsuits. Mike Tony of The Charleston Gazette-Mail has a rather detailed piece on the floor debate and — to some extent — how air quality monitoring and standards work.
The legislature is moving to address behavior issues in elementary schools. Henry Culvyhouse of Mountain State Spotlight reports on S.B. 614. A similar bill is moving through the House.
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.