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Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate committee advances bill to remove voting power from 4 WVU BOG members
Apr. 7—MORGANTOWN — The House bill that would strip the voting rights from the two faculty representatives, the classified staff representative and the student body representative on the WVU Board of Governors advanced out of the Senate Government Organization Committee Monday morning and heads to the Senate floor. HB 3279 contains several elements. It mandates that one BOG member for WVU and West Virginia State University — the two land-grant institutions — represent agriculture, forestry or the related sciences. It raises the number of gubernatorial appointees for WVU's BOG from 12 to 15 and requires one of them to be the agriculture /forestry representative, one to represent WVU Tech and one to represent Potomac State. It raises total WVU BOG membership from 17 to 19. For West Virginia State, it requires one of nine gubernatorial appointees to be the agriculture /forestry representative. A three-year West Virginia residency requirement for a BOG member to be eligible to be elected chair was removed from the bill. And for WVU and Marshall and all other institutions, the bill makes the faculty representative, the student representative and the classified staff representative nonvoting advisory members. For WVU specifically, it makes the Extension service faculty representative also a non-voting member. Because the agenda was packed, committee chair Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, limited time for public testimony. WVU BOG faculty representative Lesley Cottrell spoke briefly about the right to vote, saying, "We've taken that responsibility seriously." No one knows why those voting rights are removed in this bill, she said, and she asked to have them restored. Discussion was minimal. Sen. Anne Charnock, R-Kanawha, said, "I just think the optics are horrible." The Senate has been working to ensure people have the right to vote and this takes away that right from BOG members. By way of background, debate was more thorough — if futile — in the House. Travis Mollohan, WVU's associate vice president for government relations, told the Higher Education Subcommittee that first considered the bill that the four members have had voting power since 1989. They represent 25, 000 students, 2, 000 staff and 3, 500 faculty. Board members don't always agree, but they bring valuable insights to board discussions. And Cottrell appeared before the full Education committee. "We're all trying to think about how this would affect us, " she said. WVU didn't ask for this, she said, and no one knows why it's in this bill. "It's like being at the adult table and now being asked to sit at the kiddie table, even though the family asked you to sit at the adult table." While BOG votes are typically unanimous and represent a consensus, she said, what they vote on has been shaped and modified by the voices of those proposed to have their votes taken away in this bill. "Why and why now, " she asked. While bill supporters said those members would still have a voice even without a vote, others disagreed. Delegate Lori Dittman, R-Braxton, said, "Faculty, students and staff are the heartbeat and soul of our institutions." And Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said, "I don't know why we are doing this. I don't know what the purpose of this is — to silence the voice of faculty and students." The committee vote was 15-9 to advance it to the House floor. Monongalia County Republicans Geno Chiarelli and Joe Statler both voted in favor of the bill. But they reversed their votes on the House floor, where it passed 62-35. On the floor, all Mon, Marion and Preston delegates voted against it except George Street, R-Preston.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senate takes up bill to ban mail-order abortion medications
Mar. 28—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — The state Senate will be voting on a bill to ban the prescription and dispensing of abortion medications by mail order. The Judiciary Committee hashed over SB 85 for a couple hours on Thursday, and it saw its first reading on the Senate floor on Saturday. Lead sponsor Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, serves on Judiciary and told her colleagues the intent of the bill: to stop abortifacients being brought into the state to perform illegal abortions. An abortifacient, the bill says, is any chemical or drug prescribed or dispensed with the intent of causing an abortion. It prohibits sending the abortifacient by courier, delivery or mail service to someone in West Virginia, or placing the abortifacient in the stream of commerce. Anyone other than a licensed medical professional who violates this ban would be subject to felony imprisonment for three to 10 years. A medical professional would be subject to loss of license. The bill contains exceptions for physicians and pharmacists engaged in legal activity. Much of the discussion revolved around lack of clarity in the bill. How would manufacturers and other businesses in the supply chain know if the drug was being used for an abortion or for a legitimate purpose under West Virginia law ? How would the state enforce the law on an out-of-state business or provider ? Rucker cited the example of where a person can go online and obtain abortion pills via website or online clinic. There's no review of the woman's medical history or conditions, and no discussion of the risks. "What I'm concerned abut is ensuring that this stops, " she said. Kelly Lemon, a nurse midwife and women's health nurse practitioner, testified against the bill. There are two medications, known together as the abortion pill, used for abortions. One is mifepristone, that blocks the woman's progesterone, stopping the unborn baby from growing. Then the woman takes misoprostol, which causes cramping and bleeding to empty the uterus. Lemon said misoprostol has other medical uses, including treating postpartum hemorrhaging and preventing sepsis following a miscarriage. The bill could have the unintended consequence of blocking access to legitimate uses apart from abortions. Kristan Hawkins, president of the pro-life Students for Life Action, testified for the bill. She also mentioned the Plan C website and the questionable process of obtaining medications. She talked about its questionable presciption and delivery process. While a provider supposedly reviews a request, the order is immediately sent to the checkout page and is shipped the next day. There's no way of knowing if it was really reviewed by a doctor. She cited the case of a Louisiana mother and an New York doctor indicted for providing an abortifacient to the woman's daughter — who didn't want an abortion. But New York's governor cited the state's shield laws as protecting the doctor from prosecution, and the county clerk where the doctor is refusing to file the judgment — more than $100, 000 — against the doctor, according to news reports. While this case will stir more litigation, she said, civil causes of action and penalties could give abortifacient laws some teeth. (The original version of SB 85 permitted civil actions by the mother, but it was removed from the version the committee approved and the reason for that was never discussed.) Hawkins cited research indicating mifepristone can cause injury, infertility and death, is dangerous for ectopic pregnancies and remains active when it goes into wastewater systems following the abortion. By Dr. Nicole Perry Bryce, a Charleston obstetrician and gynecologist, speaking for the West Virginia chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said mifepristone is safer than Tylenol. The FDA provides guidelines for prescribing and shipping abortifacients, she said, and providers should be free to make evidence-based decisions and guide their patients. The committee amended some of the bill's flaws, but rejected one intended to clarify the shipping question. Rucker said it still needs work. They approved it in a voice vote, with Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Marion, providing the sole vote against.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senate bill targets sending abortion medication to WV, where the procedure is illegal
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, March 27, 2025, advanced a bill meant to target out of state providers or entities who send medications meant to cause abortion to West Virginia. (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) A bill advancing in the Senate would make it a felony to prescribe or distribute medications used for abortion to people in West Virginia except for the narrow circumstances when the procedure is legal in the state. The Senate Judiciary Committee referred Senate Bill 85 to the full Senate on Thursday. Senators are expected to vote on the bill next week. With few exceptions, abortion has been illegal in West Virginia since 2022. Abortion by telehealth is also illegal in the state. Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, one of the bill's sponsors, said the intent of Senate Bill 85 is to stop the flow of abortifacients into the state for the purpose of illegal abortions. The bill attempts to enforce the state's abortion ban on out-of-state entities or physicians who would send the medication to West Virginia residents. The penalty for violating the law would be three to 10 years in prison for a person who is not a licensed medical professional. Licensed medical professionals would face the revocation of their license, according to the bill. While the legislation is an attempt to stop out-of-state providers from breaking West Virginia law, federal courts are likely to decide the issue of enforcement, an attorney for the judiciary committee said. Louisiana last month charged a New York doctor with a felony for allegedly sending abortion pills to a pregnant minor in the state, according to reporting by the Associated Press. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul refused to extradite the doctor to face the charges. New York has a shield law to protect abortion providers who prescribe the medication to patients in states where abortion is outlawed. Kelly Lemon, a nurse midwife, testified that some medications labeled as abortifacients have a lot of other uses in health care. Lemon said the state's existing abortion laws have already led to some of her patients not being able to get misoprostol for managing a hemorrhage and delays in care for treating a miscarriage. 'My biggest concern with this bill is that it's going to further create barriers to how we can get these medications to people when they need it,' she said. The bill, should it become law, would cause delays in care and drive health providers out of the state, she said. Rucker responded that the bill indicates that pharmacists filling a valid prescription issued by a licensed medical professional or a physician performing a procedure for a legitimate reason are not breaking the law. Kristin Hawkins, president of Students for Life Action, testified that the bill would close a lot of loopholes for charging physicians and entities that send abortion medication to states where the procedure is not legal. Hawkins said there are websites where people can get abortion pills sent to them, seemingly without a doctor's review. Emily Womeldorff, director of policy and campaigns for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, said the bill is part of an ongoing effort to create fear and stigma around reproductive health care. 'This bill is a gross overreach of state authority,' Womeldorff said. 'It's threatening enforcement against health care providers that are located outside of the borders of West Virginia, and our government does not have jurisdiction over health care providers that provide care outside of our state borders. Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Marion, was the only lawmaker to speak against the bill, calling it bad policy that would harm a woman's ability to get medical care. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate bill would require WV teachers to out students' gender identity to parents
Sen. Patricia Rucker (left) questions a teacher about Senate Bill 154, which would force teachers to out students to parents if they ask to be called by a different name or pronouns. (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) Teachers would be mandated to tell parents when a child requests to be referred to by a different name or pronouns that are different from the student's biological sex, according to a bill advancing in the West Virginia Senate. The Republican-backed bill, Senate Bill 154, would also permit parents who aren't alerted about their child's gender-related requests to bring legal action against the public school. Adam Wolfe, an award-winning math and engineering teacher at Nitro High School, told senators Thursday that the measure would put him in an uncomfortable position when students confide in him about their sexuality and fear parental retaliation. 'I've had conversations where they said, 'My dad will beat me if he finds out,'' Wolfe said while speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee. 'My job is first and foremost is to teach them but also to guide them to help them figure out what they want to do. If they can't share how they identify, then why will they share other things?' The bill is sponsored by Sen. Amy Grady, R-Mason, a public school teacher who sponsored an identical measure last year. Other Republicans who defended the measure said that parents' rights should always come before a child's privacy or educators' concerns. 'I believe that parents by and large love their children, and I believe that most parents in this state deserve to have the ability and respect to be told what is happening,' said Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson. 'We have to encourage united families.' In response to Wolfe's testimony, Rucker suggested that a teacher talking to a student about their gender or sexuality without telling the parents could be construed as grooming. 'I was deeply disturbed to hear Sen. Patricia Rucker compare a witness who testified before the committee — a dedicated, exemplary math teacher — to a child predator who grooms children,' said Andrew Scheider, executive director of Fairness WV. 'What kind of world are we living in when our elected officials feel so comfortable making such outrageous accusations?' The measure also prohibits public schools from requiring students to participate in sexual orientation instruction. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure, and it will next go to the full Senate for consideration. The bill also lays out how families could file grievances against teachers who fail to disclose a student's gender identity. Some lawmakers voiced concern that the proposed system could result in unfair retaliation against teachers. 'We have a system that we're putting here related to grievances and complaints, which can be abused up the wazoo,' said Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Marion. Fairness WV opposes the education measure, and Scheider said, 'Teachers would be forced to out their students even if they have strong reason to believe that doing so would result in the student experiencing physical or emotional abuse at home … In cases like these, a teacher would be faced with choosing between following this new law or putting their student's life at risk.' Republicans have focused on biological sex this session rather than the state's overburdened foster care system or economic growth, Garcia said. 'I guess we have to put biological sex on the bill to have it run,' he said. Another bill, Senate Bill 299, advancing in the Senate would ban hormone treatment for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The legislation would nearly close the state's very narrow exemption in its gender-affirming care ban for minors. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Removal of abortion exemptions for rape, incest sees its third introduction to the West Virginia legislature
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — A bill that would remove abortion exemptions for rape and incest has been introduced to the West Virginia legislature for the third time in as many weeks, this time called Senate Bill 608. Similar to Senate Bill 51, and House Bill 2712 before it, SB 608 would amend §16-2R-3 of the West Virginia state code so that victims of sexual assault or incest would be blocked from receiving an abortion in the state of West Virginia, even if the victim is a minor or considered incompetent or incapacitated. Senate Bill 51 was withdrawn earlier in February, but if HB 2712 or SB 608 were passed, only three legal avenues would remain for women seeking an abortion: The embryo or fetus is nonviable, The pregnancy is ectopic, which is when a fertilized egg is outside the uterus, or if a medical emergency exists. SB 608 was introduced on Wednesday, and Patricia Rucker (R – Jefferson, 16) is the bill's only sponsor. Earlier in the session, Rucker also put forward another bill, SB 85; SB 85 would prohibit the use or sale of 'abortifacients,' which are defined as 'any drug, medicine, substance, chemical, or means used to cause an abortion which either requires a prescription based on FDA guidelines or is not approved by the FDA and is primarily used to cause an abortion.' West Virginia senator withdraws bill that would've removed abortion exemptions after voter backlash You can read the bill in its entirety below, or online. You can also track the status of SB 608 on the West Virginia Legislature website. sb608-intrDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
