Latest news with #MikeOliverio
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Advocates for NIOSH picket as deadline to restore jobs looms near
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — More than a month after roughly 100 NIOSH workers in Morgantown received their 'reduction in force' letters, workers and other supporters of NIOSH are still making one last push to restore more of the agency. The American Federation of Government Employees sent representatives to speak with congressional staff in Washington, and in Morgantown picketers tried to make their voices heard. The AFGE says a diminished NIOSH will make it harder to keep workers safe, and in the long run, this will cost the government money. Cathy Tinney-Zara, President of AFGE Local 3430 and also a NIOSH worker impacted by the RIF, argued that preventing injuries, accidents, and illnesses saves the government money in the long run. NIOSH might prevent a worker from getting so injured that they have to enroll in Social Security. Furthermore, with a diminished NIOSH, employers could see higher costs from workers compensation fees, and society could see higher healthcare costs. Randolph County superintendent says new policy that conflicts with WV Code is 'inaccurate' State Senator Mike Oliverio said while he believes the federal government must make cuts, NIOSH should not be one of them. 'There's nowhere else in the country that does what NIOSH does here in West Virginia, and so it's not like other federal facilities where you can cut here or trim there, and somebody else can pick up the slack,' Oliverio said. 'This is the place in the country that is designed to protect workers, everything from head to toe, whether it's a helmet, a respirator, steel toe boot, everything in between.' While some NIOSH employees have returned to their positions, most of them remain on the chopping block, with the official termination date being in early June. Unless a reversal happens by then, the jobs will be permanently lost. 12 News will continue to keep you up-to-date with developments with NIOSH as the deadline approaches. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate passes bills limiting cell phones in schools, plowing roads in Mon and Preston
Apr. 9—MORGANTOWN — The state Senate on Wednesday passed bills launching a pilot project to plow secondary roads in Monongalia and Preston counties, and to limit student cell phone use in public schools. HB 2960 is the plowing bill. It says, "Snow removal on the secondary roads in Monongalia County and Preston County has not been dependable, providing a hardship on the citizens of West Virginia." It establishes a two-year pilot project to put out a Request for Proposal for vendors to provide snow removal for District 4's secondary roads in Monongalia and Preston counties. The Division of Highways will identify the roads to be plowed. The DOH can terminate a contract, with 30 days' notice, for substandard or unsatisfactory work. It passed 34-0 and returns to the House for amendment concurrence. HB 2003 is the cell phone bill. It opens with a statement: "Personal electronic devices contribute to a negative classroom environment with increased concerns relating to distractions, academic misconduct, bullying and /or harassment and other inappropriate behaviors. Concerns regarding the mental health of students with unfettered access to personal electronic devices are well-documented and are believed to prohibit the age-appropriate development of relationships, study skills, and other necessary skills to be successful." It requires county school boards to establish policies for permitting, or not permitting, personal electronic devices on school property. If permitted, the board will set parameters for use and for storage during instructional hours. It includes exceptions for medical issues and for students with Individualized Education Programs. It also requires school boards to establish consequences for violations, including confiscation and ongoing prohibition from possession on campus. Education chair Amy Grady, R-Mason, said she was originally ambivalent about the bill, but then read a book called "The Anxious Generation " and spoke with its author and researcher. Cell phones on campus, she said, has exacerbated the problem of cyberbullying, essentially allowing it to occur all day long. The bill will give kids a gives a break from cyberbullying during school hours, along with negative impacts of social media. Before learning about that, she said, "I felt it was micromanaging." That it was the teacher's and principal's job to manage cell phone possession and use. But states with bans and limitations have seen improvements in academics and overall. The vote was 33-1, with Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, the sole vote against. It returns to the House for amendment concurrence. Squatter bill The Senate also passed the Stop Squatters Act, HB 2434. It says a squatter is a person occupying a dwelling or other structure who is not so entitled under a rental agreement or is not authorized to do so by the tenant or owner. It allows a property owner or their authorized agent request law enforcement to undertake the immediate removal of the squatter, under specified conditions. Upon receipt of a complaint, law-enforcement will conduct preliminary fact-finding, which may include reviewing any alleged lease agreement, talking to neighbors, and other relevant inquiries to ascertain the validity of the complaint. The law-enforcement agency is entitled to a fee for service. The bill establishes the crime of criminal mischief for causing damages, with misdemeanor and felony penalties depending on the value of the damages. It also sets criminal penalties for selling real property without authorization and for advertising property for sale or rent without authorization. The vote was 31-0 and it returns to the House for amendment concurrence.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill in West Virginia legislature would make Holocaust education mandatory
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) – With the rise of antisemitism around the country, places like the West Virginia Senate are taking steps to tackle the issue through education. In late March, Senate Bill 54 passed in the Senate and is now headed to the House. The bill, sponsored by Mike Oliverio, would require students be taught age-appropriate curriculum on the Holocaust, starting in sixth grade. 12 News spoke with a representative from the Yad Vashem USA Foundation, where the goal is to continue educating the world about the Holocaust and preventing future events like it. 'It's amazing that that bill was passed and we hope that many other states will do so as well… It is not an easy story to understand how this could happen in a modern western society, how one group could be targeted and exterminated and that is what Yad Vashem does and that is how we want to educate people around the world,' Tamar Major, National Director of Philanthropy for the Yad Vashem USA Foundation. West Virginia House passes microgrids bill, rejects gambling ad legislation Major said the organization is able to provide educational material to schools and educate teachers on how to best teach the history of the Holocaust, adding that although West Virginia legislators have not yet been in contact with Yad Vashem, it is an available resource. For more information on Yad Vashem, you can go here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senate passes Holocaust education, pharmacist prescription bills
Mar. 26—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — The state Senate on Wednesday passed a Holocaust education bill and a pharmacist prescription bill and sent them to the House of Delegates. SB 54 is the Holocaust bill. It says, "In collaboration with and utilizing guidance from the West Virginia Commission on Holocaust Education ... all public schools located within this state shall give age-appropriate instruction on the Holocaust, the systematic, planned annihilation of European Jews and other groups by Nazi Germany, a watershed event in the history of humanity, to be taught in a manner that leads to an investigation of human behavior, and an examination of what it means to be a responsible and respectful person." Lead sponsor Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, said that 25 years ago he met a Holocaust survivor (the late Edith Levy, of Morgantown) who was an advocate for helping West Virginians understand the Holocaust. They established the Commission on Holocaust Education and created a resource facility for teachers. This bill, he said, will require that valuable instruction so students will be able "to see the world in a different light going forward." Bill co-sponsor Sen. Jack Woodrum, R-Summers, said many in the Senate have had the privilege of meeting Holocaust survivors and soldiers who liberated the camps. But many younger people will nave have that opportunity. "This is important for us to be able to educate them about this atrocity so it never happens again, " he said. The vote was 34-0. SB 526 is the Pharmacist Prescribing Authority Act, "to authorize pharmacists to practice the full extent of their education and training to prescribe low-risk medications to patients." The bill allows pharmacists to prescribe drugs — except controlled substances — for conditions that do not require a new diagnosis, have a diagnostic test that is waived under federal guidelines as "simple laboratory examinations and procedures that have an insignificant risk of an erroneous result, " or are patient emergencies in the pharmacist's professional judgment. It allows the pharmacist to notify, within 72 hours, the patient's primary care physician of the test results and the drugs prescribed. It limits a prescription supply to 30 days and requires the pharmacist to notify the PCP if more than a 10-day supply is prescribed. The vote was 33-1, with Health chair Laura Chapman, R-Ohio, voting no.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State Senate committee again advances bill to require education on the Holocaust
Mar. 20—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — The state Senate is again attempting to pass a bill to require Holocaust education in the public schools. The Education Committee approved a trimmed-down version of SB 54 on Thursday and sent it to the full Senate. Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, is lead sponsor. The version the committee took up says, "All public schools located within this state shall give age-appropriate instruction on the Holocaust, the systematic, planned annihilation of European Jews and other groups by Nazi Germany, a watershed event in the history of humanity, to be taught in a manner that leads to an investigation of human behavior, an understanding of the ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping, and an examination of what it means to be a responsible and respectful person, for the purposes of encouraging tolerance of diversity in a pluralistic society and for nurturing and protecting democratic values and institutions." It says such teaching may not be offered until sixth grade or later. Sen. Craig Hart, R-Mingo, questioned the inclusion of the final phrase stating the purposes of the bill, focusing particularly on the term "pluralistic society." While agreeing with bill's intent, he was uncomfortable with the last half. "It gives me great pause." He also questioned the necessity of the bill, given that Holocaust education appears in other content standards. Committee chair Amy Grady, R-Mason, said that while current standards call for teaching on the Holocaust at some point, this would change code to make sure it is required somewhere from grades 6-12. Sen. Kevan Bartlett, R-Kanawha, also noted the possible redundancy, given current standards, but said he appreciates the bill since a growing segment of the population denies the Holocaust happened. "Young people need to know 6 million Jews were eradicated for political purposes, and denying that is the equivalent of denying we landed on the moon. In light of repeated discussion about the last half of the bill, Sen. Rollan Roberts, R-Raleigh, offered an amendment to trim it. His proposal reads: All public schools located within this state shall give age-appropriate instruction on the Holocaust, the systematic, planned annihilation of European Jews and other groups by Nazi Germany, a watershed event in the history of humanity, to be taught in a manner that leads to an investigation of human behavior, and an examination of what it means to be a responsible and respectful person." Sen. Joey Garcia objected to the cuts, saying the original version addresses important issues about prejudice, racism and stereotyping. Roberts said he believes those issues will be raised anyway, and he wanted to avoid micromanaging. The committee adopted Roberts' amendment with Garcia and Grady voting no. It then approved the amended bill — with no apparent votes against — and sent it to the full Senate. Last year, this bill was SB 448 and died on second reading on the Senate floor. In 2023, a different bill with different sponsors, SB 216, called for education on the Holocaust and other genocides. It passed the Senate and was approved in House Education but died in House Finance.
