Good morning and welcome back to 60 Days — your soon-to-be daily newsletter focused on the activities of the West Virginia Legislature.
There are nine days until the January 11th start of the regular legislative session and I just made the disturbing discovery that my cupboard lacks coffee.
Dave and I are going to need to be well-caffeinated when things get going at the state capital next week. If you find our efforts useful, hit the “Buy Me A Coffee” button and help keep us percolating.
Now that the coffee situation is getting sorted, it’s time to move on to something more awkward than asking for money.
Dave and I put in more than 20 years combined at West Virginia Public Broadcasting. And in the interest of further disclosure, my son now works there. We joke that it’s the family business, as if we somehow formed a public media mafia.
Last week, WVPB found itself in a pickle when it parted ways with reporter Amelia Knisely, who now joins three Charleston Gazette-Mail reporters who were fired in December.
Steven Allen Adams is the state government reporter for Ogden Newspapers, which owns a string of papers in West Virginia, including The Journal here in Martinsburg. He’s been reporting on Knisely’s claim that WVPB retaliated against her over her reporting on the state Department of Health and Human Resources. His latest includes the state Educational Broadcasting Authority’s reaction. And since this newsletter is focused on West Virginia lawmakers, I’ve also included state Senate President Craig Blair’s clapback.
The upshot—like the Gazette-Mail, WVPB is now facing questions of editorial independence just as lawmakers are set to begin their 60-day legislative session.
And since WVPB is funded in part by the state, this flap might be something to watch for when public broadcasting leaders appear for their budget hearings in the House and Senate finance committees.
From the inbox: House Communications Director Ann Ali has sent a press release announcing that Speaker Roger Hanshaw (R-Clay) has picked the major members of his leadership team and there are some notable changes for this session.
Raleigh County Delegate Brandon Steele, who mounted a failed challenge to Hanshaw’s speakership, is out as chairman of the House Government Organization Committee. He’s being replaced by Barbour County Delegate Chris Phillips. Delegate Pat McGeehan of Hancock County will serve as the panel’s Vice Chair.
Berkeley County Delegate Eric Householder is replacing Delegate Amy Summers (R-Taylor) as Majority Leader. Summers is taking over the chair of the House Health and Human Resources Committee, presumably to take on an overhaul of state Department of Health and Human Resources. (Senate President Craig Blair told MetroNews that the Senate is working on a proposal to split the agency into three.)
The rest of the House Republican leadership roster breaks down like this:
Assistant Majority Leaders — Tyler County Delegate David Kelly, Kanawha County Delegate Dean Jeffries and Harrison County Delegate Laura Kimble.
Majority Whip — Mercer County Delegate Marty Gearheart. Gearheart’s Deputy Whips will be Erikka Storch of Ohio County and Kanawha County’s Chris Pritt.
Speaker Pro Tempore — Jefferson County Delegate Paul Espinosa.
Deputy Speaker - another new role filled by Cabell County Delegate Matt Rohrbach.
With Delegate Householder taking over as Majority Leader, Wood County Delegate Vernon Criss is taking over the chairmanship of the powerful House Finance Committee. The Vice Chair will be John Hardy of Berkeley County.
Here are other House committee leadership assignments:
Committee on Economic Development and Tourism
Chair: Delegate Gary Howell, R-Mineral
Vice Chair: Delegate Wayne Clark, R-Jefferson
Technology and Infrastructure Committee
Chair: Delegate Daniel Linville, R-Cabell
Vice Chair: Delegate Jarred Cannon, R-Putnam
Education Committee
Chair: Delegate Joe Ellington, R-Mercer,
Vice Chair: Delegate Joe Statler, R-Monongalia
Vice Chair: Delegate Christopher Toney, R-Raleigh
Energy Committee
Chair: Delegate Bill Anderson, R-Wood
Vice Chair: Delegate Mark Zatezalo, R-Hancock
Judiciary Committee
Chair: Delegate Moore Capito, R-Kanawha
Vice Chair: Delegate Tom Fast, R-Fayette
Committee on Government Organization
Chair: Delegate Chris Phillips, R-Barbour
Vice Chair: Delegate Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock
State Senate President Craig Blair has also named his Republican leadership roster.
Kanawha County Senator Tom Takubo remains as Majority Leader and Brooke County Senator Ryan Weld will continue as Majority Whip.
Here are the committee assignments for chair and vice chair:
Finance
Chair: Senator Eric J. Tarr, R-Putnam
Vice Chair: Senator. Rupie Phillips, R-Logan
Judiciary
Chair: Senator Charles S. Trump IV, R-Morgan
Vice Chair: Senator Majority Whip Ryan Weld, R-Brooke
Education
Chair: Senator Amy Nichole Grady, R-Mason
Vice Chair: Senator Charles Clements, R-Wetzel
Government Organization
Chair: Senator Jack Woodrum, R-Summers
Vice Chair: Senator Jason Barrett, R-Berkeley
Health and Human Resources
Chair: Senator Mike Maroney, R-Marshall
Vice Chair: Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha
Energy, Industry and Mining
Chair: Senator Randy Smith, R-Tucker
Vice Chair: Senator Ben Queen, R-Harrison
Transportation and Infrastructure
Chair: Senator Charles Clements, R-Wetzel
Vice Chair: Senator Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha
Military
Chair: Senator Ryan Weld, R-Brooke
Vice Chair: Senator Vince Deeds, R-Greenbrier
Banking and Insurance
Chair: Senator Mike Azinger, R-Wood
Vice Chair: Senator Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia
Natural Resources/Agriculture
Chair: Senator Bill Hamilton, R-Upshur
Vice Chair: Senator David “Bugs” Stover, R-Wyoming
Economic Development
Chair: Senator Chandler Swope, R-Mercer
Vice Chair: Senator Patrick Martin, R-Lewis
Alternate Education
Chair: Senator Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson
Vice Chair: Senator Mark Maynard, R-Wayne
Outdoor Recreation
Chair: Senator Mark Maynard, R-Wayne
Vice Chair: Senator Jay Taylor, R-Taylor
Pensions
Chair: Senator Eric Nelson, R-Kanawha
Vice Chair: Senator Mark Hunt, R-Kanawha
Workforce
Chair: Senator Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh
Vice Chair: Senator Glenn Jeffries, R-Putnam
That’s it for me this week.
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That's a lot of one sided policy pending. All those Rs.