From The Exponent Telegram of Clarksburg: Much as they had to address the residual effect of coal mining on the Mountain State’s environment, lawmakers must be willing to find solutions for the more than 4,500 unplugged oil and natural gas wells across the state. As David McMahon, lobbyist for the[Read More…]
Opinion
The Editorial category is a roundup of links to editorials and columns from West Virginia newspapers.
Editorial: W.Va. lawmakers trying to limit your access to information with HB 2441 and HB 2761
From the Parkersburg News and Sentinel: West Virginia lawmakers are quietly considering two bills that would limit your access to information — even information about YOU — and could make it easier for government officials to pull the wool over your eyes, or arrange for the unfair and speedy sale[Read More…]
Editorial: W.Va. Legislature should not shelve ethics bill
From the Wheeling News-Register: Incredibly — or, if you have followed politics for a few years, perhaps not — an important ethics law in West Virginia exempts state legislators and other elected officials. Most state employees are banned from having financial interests in public contracts. That is, they cannot steer[Read More…]
Editorial: Public notice in newspapers keeps foxes away from the henhouses
From The Public Notice Research Center: Why did our forefathers originally decide to enact public notice laws in the first place? After all, they were the government. Why didn’t they just publish the information they considered vital for citizens to know and be done with it? The answer is obvious: Because they[Read More…]
This week in W.Va. House of Delegates
Release from the W.Va. House of Delegates for Feb. 15, 2019: CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The House of Delegates this past week refined and advanced its proposal for comprehensive education reform for West Virginia schools. The House overwhelmingly passed on a bipartisan basis its alternative to Senate Bill 451 on Thursday, after[Read More…]
At the Capitol: Discussion focuses on Loughry sentencing, education bill
By Phil Kabler Charleston Gazette-Mail For the West Virginia Press Association CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With the now-significantly different versions of the omnibus education bill almost certainly headed for a showdown in a House-Senate conference committee, the most talked-about event of the week at the Capitol actually took place two miles[Read More…]
‘Rules’ of W.Va. legislative progress explained
Erica Young West Virginia Press Association Capitol Reporter CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Legislative Analyst Steve Thompson gave a presentation to the House Committee on Government Organization this week on the Legislative Rule-Making and Review Process. Speaking on Monday, Thompson explained legislative rules are a lot like bills, but the process of[Read More…]
John McCoy: The good and bad of this year’s outdoor-related legislation
By JOHN McCOY Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s 60-day legislative season is in full swing, and a slew of hunting- and fishing-related bills are in the works. Here are the highlights and lowlights: Senate Bill 331 would allow hunters to use dogs to track wounded deer or bears.[Read More…]
Opinion: On the LGBTQ controversy, forced silence isn’t agreement or change
By Don Smith Executive Director of the West Virginia Press Association Will the controversy surrounding statements last week about LGBTQ organizations by a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates greatly change West Virginia? Will change come from… … the Delegate’s statements? In discussion of an amendment to allow[Read More…]
EDITORIAL: Oil and Gas: Temp jobs show need for diverse economy
The Parkersburg News and Sentinel When members of the West Virginia Press Association gathered in Charleston last week to hear from lawmakers and lobbyists during the group’s annual Legislative Breakfast, one of the topics of discussion was the oil and natural gas industry — and, in particular, pipelines. State Senate[Read More…]
