Day Three: Wrapping up for the weekend
The West Virginia Weakly legislative daybook for February 14, 2025
Today is Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14, 2025, the third day of the West Virginia Legislature’s regular session.
Today is Career Technical Education (CTE) Day at the Capitol.
Highlights (all times and agendas subject to change)
It’s Friday — which means Senate President Randy Smith will call the upper chamber’s floor session to order an hour early, presumably to give members a head start on the weekend. Starting the floor session early on Fridays is a Senate thing.
The Senate’s floor session will kick off at 10 a.m. House Speaker Roger Hanshaw is expected to get things going on the other side of the Capitol at the regular time, at 11 a.m.
Neither chamber has much on their respective floor agendas. We’re still in the bill introduction phase of the session.
Senate bills to be introduced today House bills to be introduced today
Committee Schedule
9:00 a.m. — Get set for another budget hearing today. House Finance will hear a presentation from the state Revenue Department. Chairman Vernon Criss (R-Wood) is among the legislature’s skeptics of Gov. Morrisey’s prediction of a $400 million budget gap in the next fiscal year. After yesterday’s budget hearing, Criss told WVMetroNews that the gap is the Morrisey administration’s “opinion.” A link to the story is below.
9:00 a.m. — The House Subcommittee on Homeland Security will hear from Steve Caudill of the state Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Caudill is the Director of Security Services for Prisons.
9:30 a.m. — Secretary of State General Counsel David Cook will brief lawmakers on the House Subcommittee on Legal Services.
9:30am — Both the Senate Government Organization and Senate Education will hold brief organizational meetings ahead of the floor session.
10:00 a.m. The House Subcommittee on Courts will hear from Anne Ellison, Director, Legislative Services Division Joint Committee on Government and Finance
1:00 p.m. The House Education Committee will review of the state Department of Education’s aid to schools through the Public School Support Program.
2:15 p.m — The House Subcommittee on Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourism.
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Weakly Whatnot — legislative news and opinion from around West Virginia
Administration explains its $400 million budget gap math, and Finance chairman isn’t convinced ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews
Legislature needs to restore faith in education system ~ Andrew Donaldson, West Virginia Watch. Donaldson also writes the Heard Tell Substack newsletter
Education: West Virginia must improve results ~ Parkersburg News and Sentinel editorial
Bill weakening school vaccine requirements in West Virginia advances ~ Steven Allen Adams, The Intelligencer
West Virginia’s foster care mess spills over into court system; House will try to address it ~ Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch
The good, bad and ugly from Morrisey’s address ~ Charleston Gazette-Mail editorial