Latest news with #RogerHanshaw
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
West Virginia's legislative session ends with few of Morrisey's priorities headed to his desk
House Speaker Roger Hanshaw adjourns the House of Delegates sine die on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the end of the regular session of the West Virginia Legislature. (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) West Virginia lawmakers wrapped up the legislative session Saturday, completing action on 247 of the 2,460 bills that were introduced over 60 days. Overall, the 2025 legislative session was marked by party disagreements within the GOP supermajority as well as tension between lawmakers and Gov. Patrick Morrisey. Lawmakers and Morrisey first disagreed on whether the state was facing a $400 million budget deficit, then many of his priority bills were shot down. Despite that, in a news release hours before sine die, Morrisey said his agenda was approved by the West Virginia Legislature. 'When I took office just three months ago, I promised to address West Virginia's challenges head on, bringing the type of change that moves the needle and invigorates our state,' the Republican governor said. Morrisey's State of the State address — as well as multiple executive orders levied in his first few days in office — gave lawmakers pretty clear insight into what policy priorities — like religious exemptions to the state's strict childhood vaccine laws and a ban on diversity programs in state government — the new governor wanted to see passed in his first legislative session. But getting those policies across the finish line proved challenging and, in some cases, unsuccessful. The GOP-led Legislature swiftly passed Morrisey's bill that will for the first time define the terms 'man' and 'woman' in state code by a person's biological sex. It was the first priority to make it the governor's desk, and he held a ceremonial bill signing with former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who has spoken out against trans women in sports. The measure, Senate Bill 456, will also restrict transgender individuals' access to spaces like bathrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identity. There is no empirical evidence to support claims that trans people commit harassment or assault against others when using bathrooms or facilities that align with their gender identity. Instead, people who are trans are more likely to be victims of such attacks when forced to use facilities that don't match their gender identity. Morrisey's push for repealing the Certificate of Need process in the state died early in the session when the House Committee on Health and Human Resources — on Feb. 24 — voted against House Bill 2007, meaning it never went to the floor for a full vote. HB 2007 was one of the first tests for Morrisey's influence in the Legislature, and specifically among members of the House. Several lawmakers who held concerns about repealing the certificate of need process told members of the media, in interviews and elsewhere, that they did not appreciate the strategies employed by the governor and his staff while they attempted to whip votes in support of the legislation. '[Completely repealing CON] is one of the governor's priority bills, but the governor is trying to, for lack of better words, force people to vote his way just because it's his way and sending people around, pulling people out of committees to talk to them, to try to get them to switch their vote — we've gotten off to a bad start,' said Del. Scot Heckert, R-Wood, said on HD Media's Outside the Echo Chamber in February. '… When you start telling people what to do 'or else' — especially West Virginia people — that doesn't go very well.' A month later, Del. Chris Anders, R-Berkeley, attempted to discharge the bill from the Health Committee and to the House floor. After a brief fight over rules and constitutionality of that motion, the full House voted in support of discharging the bill. Ultimately, however, members voted 74-16, effectively killing repeal of CON a second and final time this session. Meanwhile, the Senate never moved on their version of a bill to do the same. Like CON, Morrisey's attempt to water down the state's vaccine requirements petered out, dealing another blow to the governor's list of priorities. SBl 460 would have allowed religious exemptions for the state's school vaccine requirements and revised the process by which families get medical exemptions for the requirements. The Senate passed the bill with a vote of 20-2, but the House of Delegates voted it down 42 to 56. The Senate Health Committee earlier this week amended the language of the bill into HB 2776, which requires the state to report positive tests for Alpha-gal, a tickborne allergic condition, to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The amendment was withdrawn Thursday. The state has been one of only five that allow only medical exemptions to school immunization requirements. Morrisey issued an executive order requiring the state to allow religious exemptions on his second day in office. The state health department has said it will comply with Morrisey's executive order even though the Legislature didn't pass the bill. The bill to ban nearly all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in West Virginia state government passed the House and Senate in the final hours of the session, with the Senate making its final decision on the bill with less than minutes to go Saturday night. SB 474, which is the legislative side of an executive order posed by Morrisey that bans offering specific services or opportunities to people based on their race, color, ethnicity, country of origin and, in some instances, sex. It's reflective of a trend spearheaded by Republicans nationwide meant to undermine and end DEI in all its forms. The bill only applies to DEI policies and initiatives in state and local governments and schools, including institutions of higher education. It passed the state Senate 32-2 on March 26, when Republican proponents for it alleged that such services shouldn't exist because 'we don't need [them] anymore.' They said that while issues like racism may be real, they are no longer a problem in West Virginia. Systemic racism and sexism, however, are unequivocally still present in West Virginia and the United States as a whole. When the bill came up for consideration in the House on Saturday evening, there were 27 amendments — 24 filed by Democrats and three from Del. Bill Flanigan, R-Ohio, were pending on the legislation — awaiting consideration. After hours of going through the amendments the House eventually signed off on the legislation. When the Senate went to concur on the House's amendments, Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Marion, filed multiple amendments on the bill, but the Senate enacted unclear parliamentary procedures to side-step the typical process of taking up amendments. Garcia and Senate Minority Leader Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, attempted to speak on the bill but their efforts were blocked. The Senate passed the bill in the last 10 minutes of the session. Garcia and Woelfel voted no on the measure. HB 2014, which would create a certified microgrid program in the state for data centers that lawmakers hope will locate here, was a late addition to Morrisey's legislative agenda. The bill was introduced by request of Morrisey on March 18 — more than halfway through the 2025 regular session. The bill was subject to dozens of amendments as it made its way through both the House and the Senate, including changes to how taxes collected on data centers would be distributed, policies regarding how microgrids would operate and requirements for those microgrids as well as other utilities. The bill initially passed the House on April 1. After more changes in the Senate, lawmakers there approved their version on April 11. Those who voted against HB 2014 in both chambers shared concerns over the potential for electric rate increases if the bill were to pass. They also voiced discontent with measures that removed local control and enforcement of certain regulations for counties and municipalities where data centers could be built. On the last night of session, even more adjustments came in the legislation, which changed the tax structure for any data centers that are located in West Virginia, among other things. The two chambers did find compromise on that version of the bill, with the House passing the amended version 82-16 with two members absent and not voting. The Senate concurred with the House's changes to the legislation Saturday evening and voted yet again to pass the legislation, sending it to Morrisey's desk for signage. The Legislature also completed legislation on SB 458, which allows licensed and certified professionals to practice in West Virginia without taking additional examinations to attain local licensure or certification. Morrisey signed the bill, calling it a 'huge step forward to make West Virginia more competitive, attract jobs and workers, and grow opportunities for both current and future residents.' In his State of State, Morrisey called for teacher pay raises as West Virginia's public school teachers are the least paid in the nation. He never requested a bill that could have implemented a raise. He did, however, push a measure passed by both chambers, HB 2003, that would limit the use of personal electronic devices like cell phones in school classrooms during instructional time. If counties permit students to bring a cell phone on school property, counties are tasked with developing their own policies. Students may be required to store the devices in containers or pouches provided by the county. Lawmakers also passed HB2755 that would give lawmakers the ability to review or challenge West Virginia Board of Education polices — even though citizens soundly rejected that in a statewide vote in 2022. Opponents of the legislation have said it is unconstitutional and likely to be challenged before the state Supreme Court. Another high-profile education measure, SB 199, would bolster elementary school teachers' ability to remove disruptive and violent students passed the Senate and House. The measure, two years in the making, was a top request from West Virginia teachers who said worsening student behavior — particularly among the state's youngest learners — impeded their ability to teach. Numerous bills relating to campaigns and elections, as well as governmental functions generally, were considered by lawmakers this session. Some related to financing in elections while others implemented changes on how residents can vote and who, under certain terms, is allowed to run for office. The state is poised to tighten its laws on acceptable forms of photo identification that can be used at West Virginia polling places. HB 3016, meant to address voter fraud and bolster secure elections, would require a photo ID — typically a driver's license, passport or a resident identification card — to vote in-person. Lawmakers completed legislation on SB 50, requiring municipalities to hold their elections on the same date as statewide elections, on Saturday night. In the final version, cities would have until 2032 to align their elections with those by the state. They also enacted SB 490, which prohibits rank-choice voting in the state. The bill was marked by Republican Secretary of State Kris Warner as a priority for his office before session began in February, even though rank-choice voting does not occur in the state.. A bill regarding absentee ballots — HB 2117 — died after passing in the House when the Senate did not take it up. The bill would have set a deadline of 7:30 p.m. on Election Day for absentee ballots to be received and prohibited people or entities from sending absentee ballot applications to people who did not ask for them. And — in a rare move this session — Republican lawmakers in the House joined with Democrats in rejecting HB 2719, which would have allowed businesses and corporations in the state to directly donate up to $2,800 to political candidates. The body voted 54-41 against the bill. HB 3412, a bill that would have revised the state's Freedom of Information Act, passed in both chambers, but died after the House of Delegates did not take up a message to concur on the Senate's changes to the legislation. There were a number of foster care bills, many a year in the making, that were meant to address widespread problems in the state's overburdened child welfare system currently serving more than 6,000 kids. The majority of those measures never made it up for a vote or failed to complete legislative action, but HB 2880 – an omnibus bill that brought together several foster care measures — passed the House and Senate through negotiations Saturday night. A part of the bill would create a 'Parent Resource Navigator' to assist a parent to be unified or reunified with their child. A slew of bills were introduced this year that would have drastically changed what services are available to people who use drugs or who are in recovery from substance use disorder. Despite early movement, most of those ended up stalling out in committees without being taken up for serious consideration — including two bills to ban and limit syringe service programs, a bill to ban opioid treatment programs and add a tax to lifesaving Narcan in order to fund a 'tip line' for people who provide tips that allow law enforcement to prosecute trafficking crimes. Perhaps the most impactful piece of drug legislation that was adopted this year was SB 196, which introduces mandatory minimum sentences into state code for transporting cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into West Virginia. The bill also removes alternative sentencing options — like probation or home confinement — for those who are jailed on those charges. The legislation was adopted by the Senate on March 11. Lawmakers in the House amended the bill, changing how drugs would be weighed to determine penalties and also removing a provision saying someone would have to be aware of fentanyl being present in their drugs to be charged under certain parts of the code. The amended version passed the House on April 11 and the Senate accepted the House's changes to the law the next day. While abortion in the state is already illegal except in rare circumstances, the Senate passed SB 85, which would have targeted out-of-state health care providers and others who send abortion-causing medication to people in West Virginia, except when it's legal. The bill died after the House of Delegates did not take it up. The House Health and Human Resources Committee considered but never passed HB 2350, which would have prohibited food stamp recipients from using their benefits to purchase soft drinks and candy. Morrisey signed a bill that will ban a list of artificial food dyes from being included in food items sold in grocery stores or in school lunches. The measure, HB 2354 received heavy pushback from the food and beverage industry, who say it will raise prices for many drinks and shelf-stable foods. The ban on dyes in school food is set to take effect in August, and the rest of the ban will take effect in 2028. An attempt to pass a statewide camping ban aimed at homeless people failed after the Senate moved HB 2382 to the rules committee and never put it back on the calendar for a vote. The legislation passed in the House with a 89 to 9 vote. The bill, which wasn't a priority for Morrisey, would have imposed fines of up to $500 and up to 30 days in jail for people who use camping paraphernalia — including tarps, cots, beds, sleeping bags, blankets, mattresses, hammocks or portable cooking facilities and similar equipment — on governmental or public property, grounds or lawns. The Senate Health Committee considered but never passed SB 614, which would have allowed pharmacists in the state to sell ivermectin for human use over the counter and without a prescription. The bill hinged upon the federal Food and Drug Administration approving the drug — which is commonly prescribed for animals to treat some parasites — for human use in wider circumstances than currently allowed. The Legislature completed legislation on SB 427, which would repeal the requirement that 14- and 15-year-olds seeking employment have a work permit. The minimum legal age to work in West Virginia is 14. Current state law requires 14- and 15-year-olds who want to work to get a permit from their school superintendent. Under the bill, employers seeking to hire the teenagers would be required to obtain an age certificate verifying the child's age from the state Division of Labor and the written consent of the child's parent or guardian. Proponents of the legislation say it simplifies the process for teens seeking employment. Opponents say that work permits are important to help ensure compliance with child labor laws. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
West Virginia Senate passes bill changing Freedom of Information Act
The West Virginia Senate passed a bill that would change parts of the state's Freedom of Information Act, on Friday, April 11, 2025. (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) The West Virginia Senate on Friday passed a bill that would change parts of the state's Freedom of Information Act. Senators signed off on House Bill 3412 Friday with a vote of 25 to nine. The Freedom of Information Act allows members of the public to access information and public records about the workings of government. Journalists, researchers and others use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain access to lawmakers' emails, presentations and more that can shed light on how decisions are being made. As it passed the House of Delegates, the bill would have exempted the Legislature from the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act, if it adopts its own rules. House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, who sponsored the bill, said his intent was not to hide public documents, but to allow lawmakers to write its rules that make it clear to the public what is and is not a public record. The Senate on Friday approved a new version of the bill from the Senate Government Organization Committee. Under that version, the Legislature is not exempt from FOIA. The latest version of the bill would remove the requirement that the law be liberally construed in favor of disclosure. It provides that private personal information is not public record. Personal information includes banking and financial information, address and telephone numbers, date of birth, marital status, social security numbers as well as notes and journal entries containing opinions and more. The bill also extends the deadline that custodians of public documents have to respond to FOIA requests from five days to 14 days. Agencies would be allowed to charge a 'reasonable search and retrieval fee' for the documents. Under the law currently, agencies may only charge for actual costs of copying the documents. The Senate approved the bill with no discussion Friday. The bill will now go back to the House of Delegates for possible approval of the amended version of the bill. The 60-day legislative session ends at midnight Saturday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
West Virginia House of Delegates considers changes to public records access
House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, lead sponsor of House Bill 3412, explains to lawmakers how his bill would exempt the Legislature from requirements of the Freedom of Information Act Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Charleston, (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) The West Virginia House of Delegates is considering a bill that would allow the Legislature to write its own rules for disclosing public records, but House Speaker Roger Hanshaw said the intent is not to hide records. Journalists, researchers and members of the public use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain access to lawmakers' emails, presentations and more that can shed light on how decisions are being made. The emails can reveal what lobbyists or special interest groups are involved in bill making. Some communications are exempt. House Bill 3412, sponsored by Hanshaw, R-Clay, would exempt the Legislature from requirements of the Freedom of Information Act, if it adopts its own rules. The House Rules Committee reviewed the measure Wednesday. Current state FOIA law does not differentiate between the state's court system, the executive branch and the legislature, Hanshaw said. He told committee members individuals often use FOIA to access drafts of bills that are never introduced. FOIA laws have existed since 1966. Hanshaw wants the House to write rules that make it clear to the public what is and is not a public record. 'One of the objections sought to be achieved by this particular piece of legislation is clarification of what is and isn't a legislative record that can actually be reachable by those who simply seek access to legislative records,' he said. Doug Skaff, interim director of the West Virginia Press Association, appeared before lawmakers to question if the bill would affect journalists' access to legislative records. 'We just want to make sure that these laws provide a legal basis and a framework that government records, meetings and all the doings within the public body of this Capitol is available to recognized media outlets in this state,' Skaff said. 'We think we owe it to the people of West Virginia to discuss and spread the information that happens under this dome.' Hanshaw said that he views the media as partners who disseminate the information about what happens at the Capitol. 'We think we have a pretty constructive relationship with our media partners right now … we realize that the press is not the only user of the Freedom of Information statute,' Hanshaw said. 'We would be supportive as long as it doesn't restrict the right of the media to do their job,' Skaff responded. Ann Ali, deputy chief of staff and communications director for the House of Delegates, said in an email that the intent of the bill is not to hide public records and that Hanshaw wants any legislative records currently available to the public to remain available to the public. 'However — the intent is also to exempt the Legislature from FOIA and to adopt open records rules the Legislature would follow, because there may be instances when FOIA doesn't fit the specifics of what the Legislature is or does,' she said. If the change is adopted, people would cite a rule rather than the Freedom of Information Act in a request for public documents, she said. While House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle has concern about the bill, he feels that it would still permit the media to access records for reporting. 'It appears it has to do more with people outside the state who might have ulterior motives. I do feel better [about it],' said Hornbuckle, D-Cabell. The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia also has concerns with the bill. 'First the Senate limited recording in the chamber. Then, the House did away with public hearings. Now they want to exempt the Legislature entirely from open records laws,' ACLU-WV Advocacy Director Rusty Williams said in a statement. 'They won't be satisfied until they're passing their harmful, extremist agenda entirely in private. Enough is enough. We have a right to know what our elected leaders are up to.' In order for the change to go into effect, the bill would first have to become law. Next, the House would have to create then adopt its own rules in order for the new FOIA rules to go into effect. Without a rule, the default would be the current FOIA statute, Hanshaw said. The Senate could adopt the rules to become regulations that apply to both bodies, according to Hanshaw. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WVU would have to operate ‘center for civics' overseen by political appointee, bill says
House Majority Leader Del. Pat McGeehan, R-Hanock, speaks to House Speaker Roger Hanshaw on Friday, March 21, 2025. McGeehan is the sponsor of a bill that would require West Virginia University to operate a civics learning center focused on teaching constitutional studies overseen by a governor's appointee. (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) West Virginia University would be required to operate a civics learning center focused on teaching constitutional studies and 'great debates of Western civilization' overseen by a governor's appointee, according to a bill approved by the House of Delegates. It would be called the Washington Center for Civics, Culture and Statesmanship. 'There can be pressure from such institutions on how to teach certain subjects,' said House Majority Leader Pat McGeehan, R-Hanock, on Friday as the House debated the bill. 'Academic freedom to these professors to teach how they want to to teach is very attractive today.' The unfunded mandate comes in the wake of WVU's budget crunch that resulted in axing 28 academic majors and hundreds of jobs, including faculty members. The university also recently shuttered its Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion following Gov. Patrick Morrisey's ban on state funds for entities using the diversity initiatives. The measure, House Bill 3297, drew concerns from House Democrats, who voiced concerns about the governor having the final say on who would oversee the center. 'I'm not big on government mandates and big government. You can check my voting record on that,' said Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio. 'This is setting up some cush position for the governor to appoint somebody. This is a beautiful handout for a bureaucrat.' Del. John Williams D-Monongalia, said the university already offers dozens of courses across multiple majors that could accomplish the bill's goals regarding course offerings. 'By and large, my experience at this university, and I think the experience of other people, is one in which political science [and] philosophy professors don't tip their hand. It's hard to tell where they are politically as it should be because they're challenging our students,' said Williams, who graduated from WVU. 'I don't like that we're meddling, particularly with the political science department, where there are renowned, locally famous teachers … and now, we're going to come in and mess with their major and how they teach their students,' he said. The bill doesn't come with funding to pay the center's director or any faculty members hired to teach its programs. The center's director could hire tenure-track faculty, which is different from the university's current faculty hiring process. Del. Chris Phillips, R-Babour, told lawmakers during bill debate, 'I've been told the university supports this.' WVU Communications Director April Kaull told West Virginia Watch that the university does not have an official position on the legislation. 'We believe civics education and statesmanship are important values to our state and nation. Many of our existing programs, especially in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, focus on these areas,' Kaull said. 'We have shared our concerns about the funding needed to operate this center and how its ability to offer degrees and award tenure would conform to our accreditation standards and policies.' While McGeehan said that funding could be allocated later, Williams worried about who might want to fund the school if the state doesn't. 'Who will want to pay to have a say in how we educate the next generation?' he asked. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. The legislation was modeled after legislation in several other states, according to McGeehan. 'It's designed to attract very talented professors with a very narrow focus, mainly in the humanities,' he said. 'Then, to attract STEM students into taking some kind of minor or at least have a background in some of these subject areas that they otherwise wouldn't take.' McGeehan was recently involved in a controversial move by the West Virginia Water Development Authority to give $5 million to an Ohio-based Catholic-affiliated career and vocational college to create a right-wing think tank. The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reported that McGeehan helped the College of St. Joseph the Worker with their application for WDA funds. The WDA made the decision without a required recommendation from one of three state officials. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
West Virginia Supreme Court dismisses Dems challenge over de Soto's House seat
The West Virginia House of Delegates chamber. (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) The West Virginia Supreme Court has ruled against state Democrats in one of their challenges over a seat in the House of Delegates. In an order issued Thursday, the court dismissed one of the two lawsuits the party filed against Gov. Patrick Morrisey after he filled the seat of Joseph de Soto. De Soto won the election last year in the 91st district as a Republican, but registered as a Democrat shortly before he was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and several other delegates. Morrisey appointed Ian Masters, an attorney and gun rights activist, to fill the seat for the 91st district, which represents a part of Berkeley County. Del. Mike Pushkin, chair of the state Democratic Party, and Berkeley County resident Jill Michaels filed the lawsuit against Morrisey. They argued that House Republicans, who voted to vacate de Soto's seat, didn't follow the proper constitutional procedure and that there was legal precedent that the seat should go to Democrats due to de Soto's party switch. They asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue, naming Morrisey in the filing. In the order Thursday, the court said the Democrats failed to give a 30-day notice of suit that is required by lawsuit of those who file suit against a government agency. 'The petitioners failed to satisfy the thirty-day notice requirement pursuant to West Virginia Code § 55-17-3(a)(1) because the petition at issue is against a governmental agency and does not fall within an exception to the thirty-day pre-suit notice requirement,' the order says. 'With limited exception, West Virginia Code § 55-17-3(a)(1) requires at least thirty days' notice prior to instituting an action against a governmental agency.' The lawsuit the court addressed Thursday named only Morrisey. Another lawsuit is pending. The remaining lawsuit listed Morrisey and House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw. An attorney for Hanshaw filed a notice of automatic stay, which delays lawsuits against lawmakers during a regular or special session, according to reporting by the Parkersburg News and Sentinel. Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Marion, introduced legislation to clarify how vacancies are filled when someone is elected under one party and then switches parties. 'I've seen a lot of tomfoolery played with people switching parties,' Garcia told West Virginia MetroNews. 'And I don't think that's right. When the people decide, the people decide.' The senate is expected to vote on Senate Bill 586 next week. In a statement Thursday, Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said the party is waiting on official correspondence about the ruling from the Supreme Court before it decides on next steps but said the court 'had every ability and responsibility to expedite this case to clarify for the people of West Virginia how our citizen Legislature should be composed.' 'Today's announcement, that we have yet to actually see, is just another political hurdle,' the statement said. 'The citizens of South Berkeley and West Virginia deserve better than this.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
