By ANDREA LANNOM The Register-Herald CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Addressing the West Virginia Press Association’s Legislative Breakfast, legislative leadership and the governor discussed views on the budget progress and other issues the lawmakers will focus on in the second half of the session. Senate President Mitch Carmichael, House Speaker Tim Armstead[Read More…]
Month: March 2017
Governor addresses Legislative Breakfast
By OWEN WELLS Civitas Media CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Governor Jim Justice said he has taken the proposed advertising tax off of the table in budget negations. Justice made the announcement at the West Virginia Press Association’s Legislative Breakfast. Justice noted, “One of the things was the sales tax exemption in[Read More…]
WV governor: Clock is ticking on budget
By PHIL KABLER Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Standing beside his electronic countdown clock outside the Governor’s Office as it counted down to the midway point of the 60-day regular session of the West Virginia Legislature, Gov. Jim Justice lamented Thursday the lack of legislative counter-proposals on his 2017-18 state[Read More…]
HB 2811 addresses WV Aboveground Storage Tank Act impact on natural gas industry
By KEN WARD JR. Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — More than two-thirds of the chemical storage tanks covered by a safety law passed after the Freedom Industries spill into the Elk River would be exempt from that law, under a bill now moving through the West Virginia House of Delegates.[Read More…]
WV Senate passes bill toughening sentences for dealers in fatal ODs
By JAKE ZUCKERMAN Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Senate passed a bill Thursday that would impose a stiff sentence on anyone convicted of delivering or dispensing of illegal drugs that lead to a fatal overdose. The legislation (SB 220) would mandate a 10- to 40-year prison sentence[Read More…]
GOP senators refuse to restore Democratic women to state boards
By PHIL KABLER Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Republican senators on Thursday rejected gubernatorial appointments of two women with Democratic ties, a year after the Senate backed off similar plans to block several nominees. Senate Minority Leader Roman Prezioso, D-Marion, tried unsuccessfully on Thursday to put Belinda Biafore, state Democratic Party[Read More…]
Medical marijuana debated on WV House of Delegates floor
By ERIN BECK The Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — On Thursday, two Democratic members of the West Virginia House of Delegates introduced an amendment to a bill on drug classification that would have rescheduled marijuana as a Schedule IV, instead of a Schedule I, drug. Schedule I drugs, like heroin,[Read More…]
Bill introduced to give governor authority to furlough state workers
By ANDREA LANNOM The Register-Herald CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A bill introduced Thursday in the House would give the governor the authority to furlough state workers. House Bill 2879 would authorize that when there is a fiscal emergency, the governor could issue an executive order to issue furloughs to state workers[Read More…]
‘Bridge to Nowhere’: USA Today chronicles long-struggle for completion
By CHARLES OWENS Bluefield Daily Telegraph BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — Bluefield’s so-called “Bridge to Nowhere” is getting some national attention. A front-page article and related photographs Thursday in USA Today chronicled the long-struggle in southern West Virginia to build the King Coal Highway and Coalfields Expressway projects. In the newspaper report, area officials talked[Read More…]
Medical marijuana shot down in West Virginia
By JANET METZNER The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A majority of Northern Panhandle lawmakers voting Thursday supported legalizing medical marijuana, but the amendment sponsored by Delegate Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, failed by a vote of 64-35. “I think it’s dead in this session,” Fluharty said after the Thursday vote[Read More…]