Good morning and welcome back to 60 Days, your daily guide to the West Virginia Legislature’s regular session.
As a loyal reader, you’ll know I am just back from the frozen empire of Des Moines, Iowa and the GOP Caucuses. I’m not going to spend too much time on that seeing as how we’re focused on other things here at 60 Days.
But I’ll tell you this much: It was COLD. I think the lowest temperature I saw on the rental Jeep Wrangler dashboard was -17. That’s SEVENTEEN BELOW, not including windchill.
Former president Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, was at the caucus site where we were broadcasting. Eric gave a last-minute stump speech in support of his dad just as the Associated Press called the race — and just before three separate caucus precincts backed former South Carolina governor and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley.
If that’s confusing, don’t worry, it kind of is. What you need to know is Donald Trump leads the race for the GOP’s nomination for president — and I am back in West By God Virginia without any immediate signs of frostbite. And that Iowans are rather dedicated to a quirky and relatively uncommon democratic process known as a caucus. And that I am tired.
Today is January 18th, 2024 — Day 9 of the West Virginia Legislature’s Regular Session. As they tend to after the first couple days of session — and much to my amusement — things started to pick up while I was away in Iowa. I say “much to my amusement” only because I left Giles to do all the work while I didn’t have to lift a finger for the newsletter.
Today’s Agenda:
The Senate gavels in at 11 a.m. with 11 bills on first reading, according to the floor calendar. The House also gathers at 11 a.m. with two bills up for passage, three measures on the amendment stage and a few others on first reading.
Here’s a quick look at what’s on the docket in key committees:
William Marshall will give a presentation to the House Jails and Prisons Committee during its 9 a.m. meeting. Marshall is the Commissioner of the state Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation and will likely take some tough questions about inmate deaths at state facilities in recent years.
Other House panels meeting today:
The Committee on Seniors, Children, and Families will meet at 9:15 a.m. in Room 215E.
The Committee on Fire Departments and EMS will meet at 10 a.m. in Room 434.
The Committee on Technology and Infrastructure will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434.
The Committee on Energy and Manufacturing will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 460.
The Committee on Economic Development will meet at 3 p.m. in Room 410.
Over in Senate Education, the panel will get to work at 10 a.m. on SB 448, requiring age-appropriate instruction on the Holocaust in public schools. They’ll also take a look at a bill that would add extra funding for students in the PROMISE scholarship program who meet more rigorous academic standards.
The Senate Health Committee will tackle a measure renaming the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and a bill that would require photo ID on EBT cards. The members of the panel get together at 1 p.m.
Other Senate meetings on the schedule today:
10 a.m.: Government Organization (208W)
1 p.m.: Energy, Industry and Mining (208W)
3 p.m.: Judiciary (208W)
3 p.m. Finance (451M)
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Pay raise bills for teachers and school service personnel have started moving. Brad McElhinny of WVMetroNews reports that lawmakers are considering a more ambitious proposal.
During the House Judiciary Committee’s meeting on Wednesday, lawmakers pulled from the agenda a bill that would have made it mandatory that West Virginia voters produce a photo ID to cast a ballot. But Lori Kersey of West Virginia Watch reports the committee did advance other bills, including one that would prohibit the state from publishing mugshots of people not convicted of crimes.
The ACLU of West Virginia is making good on its threat to sue the city of Wheeling over the camping ban on public property that went into effect with the New Year. The group says the ban criminalizes homelessness in public as the Wheeling Intelligencer reports.
Wheeling isn’t the only city facing a legal fight over people camping on public property. And now the U.S. Supreme Court is taking up the issue. Last week, the justices agreed to hear a case out of Oregon as Reuters reports.
Members of the West Virginia Republican Executive Committee are meeting this weekend. Jeff Jenkins of WVMetroNews reports they will consider a resolution that would limit voting in the party’s primary to Republicans only.
Now there are two Democrats who have filed with the Secretary of State’s office to run for Joe Manchin’s U.S. Senate seat. Hard on the heels of Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliot on Tuesday, Marine Corps veteran and community organizer Zach Shrewsbury filed in Martinsburg on Wednesday. (Post on X)
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.
Have you heard about the rumblings to undue the Farmland Protection Program in WV. Some are circulating a proposed change to make the farmland easement NOT in perpetuity. Rather they would make it last only 25 years. This would conflict with the Federal program and WV would loose its ability to offer “Farmland Protection” under the Federal program. No bill has been written. Lavonne Paden is the State Director of the program.
Those against it would be average greedy developers who are always on the prow for a big chunk of land to buy and cut up. Farmers and citizens generally support the program.
Check into it if you and Dave can.