Day 42: Campus Carry is up for passage in the House
And there's a lot of bills moving quickly as we head into the homestretch.
Good morning and welcome back to 60 Days.
Today is Tuesday, February 21st — the 42nd day of the West Virginia Legislature’s regular session.
It occurred to me over the course of lounging around on a rare weekend off that Major League Baseball’s spring training opens Friday. While I’m rather excited, I must admit that I’m a little upset about something: YouTubeTV recently dropped the MLB Network. It was one of the major draws for me to sign up for that service.
Since then, I’ve been chewing on an MLB.TV subscription. It’s kinda steep and not something my better half would be convinced is worth it. But I might just bite the bullet and go for it, anyway. (Just don’t tell her.)
So, with that, I guess it’s fair to admit that my share any coffee donations moving forward may also be used to partially fund my baseball habit.
Also, another thing worth noting before we dive in for real this morning: I was only able to take Sunday night’s shift off thanks to Giles filling in for me, which means he deserves a coffee for helping me out.
The big thing to watch this morning will be the campus carry bill up for passage in the House. The measure, SB 10, formally known as the “Campus Self-Defense Act,” is almost sure to pass given the GOP super-mega-majority. In its essence, it allows guns on campuses if a person holds a concealed carry permit.
Yesterday, Democrats from Huntington and Morgantown tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill. One effort from Del. Danielle Walker (D-Monongalia) and Del. Sean Hornbuckle (D-Cabell) sought to allow colleges and universities to establish residence halls that would prohibit guns.
Another proposed amendment, this one from Walker and Del. Evan Hansen —also from Monongalia County — would have removed the section from the bill that will allow students with provisional concealed carry permits to have guns on campus.
Each proposed change was rejected on a voice vote.
Given that the measure has been unchanged since passing the Senate last month, it’ll head directly to Gov. Jim Justice to make the call. If — but more likely once — it passes, of course.
The House will also have another 11 bills on the passage stage this morning when it convenes at 11 a.m. You can find those bills and the others on the House Special Calendar.
In terms of the committee schedule in the House, here’s the rundown on which panels are meeting and where:
9:15 a.m. – the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee will meet in the East Wing Committee Room, 215E
10 a.m. – the Pensions and Retirement Committee will meet in the Finance Committee room, 460M
10:45 a.m. – the Committee on Rules will meet behind the Chamber
Immediately following floor session – the Judiciary Committee will meet in 410M
2 p.m. – the Committee on Economic Development and Tourism will meet in the Finance Committee room, 460M
2 p.m. – the Committee on Technology and Infrastructure will meet in the Education Committee room, 432M
3 p.m. – the Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet in the East Wing Committee Room, 215E
4 p.m. – the Committee on Finance will meet in 460M
The Senate also has quite a lot on its plate when it gavels in at 11 a.m.
Of note on the Senate Calendar is the Eng. Com. Sub. for HB 2006 - Relating to reorganizing the Department of Health and Human Resources, which will be on the amendment stage.
Senate leaders decided to skip the committee process on the bill, so I wouldn’t expect amendments to be offered on the floor.
The proposed three-way split of DHHR has also had bipartisan support throughout the session, so I’d be looking for that bill to be up for passage on Wednesday with few hurdles.
Lawmakers in the Senate will also consider adopting a study resolution to call on the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to look into the increasing availability of opioid prescriptions. This comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has so far attributed more than 1,200 deaths to opioid overdoses in West Virginia in 2021.
A number of Senate committee agendas are also set for today.
9 a.m. — Government Organization (208W)
SB 544: Increasing power purchase agreement cap
Com. Sub. for SB 656: Verifying legal employment status of workers to governmental agencies
Com. Sub. for SB 554: Exempting purchases made by Auditor and WV Enterprise Resource Planning Board from certain provisions of WV code
Com. Sub. for Com. Sub. for SB 585: Prohibiting county commissions from adopting any authorization that exceeds state law regarding agricultural operations
Com. Sub. for SB 181: Creating Closed Captioning Act
Com. Sub. for SB 649: Authorizing Berkeley County Council to change its name to Berkeley County Commission
Com. Sub. for SB 665: Amending licensure requirements for massage therapist
9 a.m. — Education (451M)
SB 619: Allowing teachers in public schools to teach intelligent design
SB 638: Providing bonuses to school personnel for unused personal days
SB 667: Requiring periodic performance audits of WV Secondary Schools Athletic Commission
SB 1: Requiring Higher Education Policy Commission to create and administer PROMISE Plus Program
HB 3113: Requiring high school students to complete course of study in personal finance
1 p.m. — Health and Human Resources (451M)
SB 552: Relating to abortion
SB 613: Exempting hospitals from certificate of need requirements
SB 617: Requiring Commissioner of Bureau for Medical Services produce report regarding home and community-based providers
SB 646: Creating emeritus physician license
SB 676: Requiring report on Medicaid fees and managed care provider reimbursements compared to PEIA, Medicare, and surrounding states
SB 730: Expanding authority of Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability Commission
HB 2993: Relating to rural emergency hospital licensure
HB 3317: Relating to removing specific continuing education requirements
2 p.m. — Finance Subcommittee B (451M)
Com. Sub. for SB 268: Relating to PEIA
3 p.m. —Judiciary (208W)
Com. Sub. for SB 220: Kratom Consumer Protection Act
Com. Sub. for SB 558: Prohibiting law enforcement agencies from posting booking photographs of certain criminal defendants on social media
Com. Sub. for SB 560: Limiting recovery on claims for abuse to secure financial solvency of public and private school system
Originating Resolution: Relating to studying BRIM
3 p.m. — Finance (451M)
Report from Subcommittee B
Com. Sub. for SB 268: Relating to PEIA
SB 423: Increasing salary for certain state employees
Com. Sub. for SB 267: Updating law regarding prior authorizations
SB 438: Return to WV Tax Credit Act
SB 469: Providing funding for CPR instruction to high school students
We’re still a few days out from the end of the week (which is traditionally when Giles gives a round-up of stories from other outlets), but we’re getting to a point in the session where a lot of important bills are moving quickly. So, here’s a few stories from yesterday that I wanted to draw your attention to:
Delegates advance bill requiring job training for most SNAP recipients (WVMetroNews)
Employers want to limit costs from ‘deliberate intent’ claims, and injured workers call foul (WVMetroNews)
Full WV House to consider PFAS protection bill (Charleston Gazette-Mail, paywall)
Bill looks to teachers aides, veterans and faster pathway to help address shortage (Charleston Gazette-Mail, paywall)
That does it for me this morning. By my calculations, if each subscriber we have buys us a single coffee this morning, I’ll have no problem convincing my partner to let me spring for MLB.TV this season. After all, this newsletter’s been worth at least five bucks to you so far, hasn’t it?
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Also, I’m on Twitter at @davemistich and Giles is @GilesSnyder.