By Steven Allen Adams, The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
As I write this Sunday morning following the end of this year’s 60-day session of the West Virginia Legislature, I’m trying to wrap my head around everything.
When one looks back at this particular session, I have no idea what the takeaways will be. I stand by my contention a few weeks ago that this was largely a lackluster session.
I decided to do some compare and contrast. As of the stroke of midnight Saturday, 280 bills had completed the legislative process, meaning they were passed by both the House of Delegates and the state Senate (38 of those bills have already been signed by Gov. Jim Justice).
This is a presidential election year. Compared to the 356 bills that completed legislation in 2020, that 280 number is more than a 21% drop. However, only 276 bills were passed during the 2016 election year. Looking at the 2012 election year (when the Democratic Party held the majority of seats in the House and Senate), only 214 bills completed the legislative process.
So, definitely fewer bills passed compared to the most recent presidential election year, but not as bad as I thought overall.
I think when people look back at the 2024 legislative session, they’ll think about the focus on red meat bills aimed at Republican and unaffiliated primary voters that ultimately never made it across the finish line.
