By KEN WARD JR. Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Legislation to help natural gas companies force holdout mineral owners to allow drilling emerged from committee late Thursday night, and is headed for the floor Senate late in the session, but still with plenty of time for the industry to win[Read More…]

By RYAN QUINN Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After about four hours of discussion, questions and amendments, the West Virginia House Education Committee passed at 11 p.m. Wednesday Gov. Jim Justice’s wide-ranging K-12 education bill. Wednesday was the first appearance of the bill in a legislative committee. It now heads[Read More…]

By ERIN BECK Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House Judiciary Committee approved a bill Thursday that would place new restrictions on adolescent abortion in West Virginia. Lawmakers had originally introduced a bill that would no longer allow a physician to waive the parental notification requirement before an adolescent abortion.[Read More…]

By LACIE PIERSON The Herald-Dispatch CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With six days before a critical deadline, the West Virginia Senate Finance Committee still is ruminating a major tax reform bill. Senate Bill 335 cleared the Select Committee on Tax Reform earlier this month, and it remains under the consideration of members of[Read More…]

By JAKE ZUCKERMAN Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House Judiciary Committee sent a bare-bones, edited version of a new voter-identification law to the chamber floor Thursday for consideration by the full West Virginia House of Delegates. The original bill would have required state-issued photo identification to vote, making West[Read More…]

By RUSTY MARKS The State Journal CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill Thursday, March 23 that would allow private employers to require drug-testing of workers. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Delegate John Shott, R-Mercer, said the program outlined under House Bill 2857, called[Read More…]

By JAKE ZUCKERMAN Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A bill allowing for exemptions for students from receiving vaccinations before enrolling in public schools narrowly cleared the West Virginia Senate Education Committee on Thursday. The body has spent its last several sessions hearing testimony from doctors regarding the efficacy and safety[Read More…]

By PHIL KABLER Charleston Gazette-Mail CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice’s plan to reorganize the state Division of Tourism will be up for a passage vote in the Senate Friday — but with an amendment approved Thursday that could effectively hold funding for all state tourism advertising hostage. In Senate Bill[Read More…]

By ANDREA LANNOM The Register-Herald CHARLESTON, W.Va.  — Delegate Mick Bates said he knows an easy way to balance the budget without tax increases or crippling cuts. Taking out a stack of papers he said was the budget bill, Bates balanced the papers on top of his head. After Thursday’s[Read More…]

By DAVID BEARD The Dominion Post CHARLESTON, W.Va.  — The bill to sell Hopemont Hospital in Terra Alta was overhauled March 23 to make provisions for staff and patients. House Finance took up a new version of HB 3102. It orders Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) to sell[Read More…]