Day Ten: The first full week goes into the history books today
Good morning and welcome back to 60 Days.
Today is Friday, January 20, the tenth day of the West Virginia Legislature’s regular session.
West Virginia lawmakers are wrapping up their first full week today and likely trying to get out of Charleston and back home for the weekend. But first, they’ve got committee meetings, floor sessions who knows what else to get through.
We’ll circle back around to today’s legislative schedule, but you should know that I woke up to an emergency at my house this week. I tweeted about it because I was looking for sympathy on what turned out to be a coffee-less morning.
Yep.
NO coffee in the cupboard.
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From the coffee crisis at my house to the crisis in West Virginia’s jails, which leads me to the Quote of the Day:
“We’re absolutely working our people to death, and they’re quitting because of that.” ~Acting Corrections Commissioner Brad Douglas
Douglas appeared before the House Jails and Prisons Committee and delivered what MetroNews statehouse reporter Brad McElhinny described as an “alarming message.”
Douglas told the panel that Corrections Officers are overworked and underpaid:
He said officers routinely work shifts that can last up to 16 hours because of a 33 percent vacancy rate. At the end of last month, he said there were more than 1,000 vacancies.
Gov. Jim Justice acknowledged the crisis in his State of the State address last week, urging lawmakers to boost the paychecks of Corrections Officers. Douglas said starting pay is currently just $15 an hour.
A pay hike seems likely. House Jails and Prisons Committee Chairman David Kelly told MetroNews that “we’re working with the governor’s office, and we’re trying to come up with something meaningful.”
The House Health and Human Resources Committe has advanced a bill that’s being watched closely by the LGBTQ community.
It’s HB 2007 and, as with a lot of bills considered by the Legislature, its official description — prohibiting certain medical practices — doesn’t really tell you much.
The “medical practices” in HB 2007’s short title refers to gender affirming care for minors. It would bar medical providers from offering such care.
There wasn’t much debate on the bill. None of the Republicans on the committee spoke in favor of it. But Delegate Mike Pushkin (D-Kanawha) and Delegate Danielle Walker (D-Monogalia) pushed back. Puskin said the measure’s low bill number suggested that it’s high on the list of GOP priorities. He called the bill an insult to an already marginalized community.
Fairness West Virginia, a civil rights advocacy organization focused on the LGBTQ community, denounced the effort. The group’s executive director Andrew Schneider, was quoted on the group’s website:
“Transgender kids aren’t shopping for doctors, they’re just trying to survive,” Schneider said. “HB 2007 is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.”
That measure, which could soon be in the hands House Judiciary, is just one bill the LGBTQ community and its allies are keeping tabs on.
Another is SB 252, which includes a section that would prohibit within 2,500 feet of a public school “any transvestite and/or transgender exposure, performances or display to any minor.” That proposal has been referred to Senate Judiciary but hasn’t yet been taken up.
SB 252 seems to be among a slew of bills around the country that target drag shows. According to NBC News, more than 100 bills have been filed in more than 20 states so far this year that seek to roll back LGBTQ rights.
If it seems like I’ve given the Senate short shrift this morning, it’s because I have. Too much to do, too little time to do it in. However, I should mention that the Senate Education Committee heard from State Superintendent of Schools David Roach yesterday and advanced its version of a bill to put more teaching assistants in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. A similar bill is moving through the House.
Like I said at the top of this newsletter, it’s Friday and West Virginia lawmakers are likely anxious to get back home for the weekend.
There are no House committee meetings in the afternoon, but there are a few in the morning (click on the committee's name to see the agenda):
9 a.m - The Committee on Finance will meet at 9 a.m. in the committee room, 460M.
The Budget Hearing Calendar has two presentations scheduled to start in the room after that meeting at roughly 9:30 a.m.
10 a.m. - The Committee on Judiciary will meet at 10 a.m. in the committee room, 410M.
The House convenes at the usual start time of 11 a.m. But the Senate is gaveling in early, at 9 a.m. — with two bills up for passage.
Eng. SB 115: Providing procedure for WV to select delegates to an Article V Convention - also known as a “convention of states.” Such a convention is one of two methods to amend the U.S. Constitution.
Eng. Com. Sub. for SB 124: Authorizing child sexual abuse and sexual violence prevention program and in-service training in child sexual abuse prevention
Here’s the Senate’s committee schedule, such as it is:
Dave and I can’t get to everything that’s happening in Charleston, so we decided to start a regular Friday feature linking to stories that we missed or simply didn’t have time to write up for you.
Here’s what caught my eye this week:
WV banned abortion but family support is slow to follow - Mountain State Spotlight
WV Senate eyes tax breaks for doctors, better access to rape examinations for victims -Charleston Gazette-Mail (Paywall)
West Virginia Receives $83 million Opioid Settlement From Walgreens - West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Enviro group, Justice company reach settlement over cleanup of Wise County mines - Virginia Mercury (Thanks to our friend and former WVPB-er Roxy Todd — who’s now at public radio station WVTF in Virginia — for putting this on our radar.)
Union membership hit record low in 2022 - This Washington Post story doesn’t have anything to do with the state Legislature but given West Virginia’s labor history I thought it worth including here. (Paywall)
One more thing.
If you’re interested in a little West Virginia history, I write a separate newsletter called The Porte Crayon Applejack Society. It’s about Martinsburg native David Hunter Strother, who was a popular 19th century writer and illustrator who used Porte Crayon as his pen name. Click on the banner to check it out and sign up. Be warned though, it’s on hiatus while Dave and I work on 60 Days. I’m planning to bring the PCAS back in April.
Got any questions about the legislative session? Or 60 Days? You can simply reply to this email, or you can reach us at 60daysgilesdave@gmail.com.
I’m on Twitter @gilessnyder and Dave can be found @davemistich.