By Charles Young, WV News
Quick take:
➤ Focus on Social Issues: Debates on “social bills,” like arming teachers and librarian prosecutions, dominated discussions, reflecting election-year politics and national controversies.
➤ Significant Legislation: Despite the focus on social issues, impactful legislation, such as beginning to phase out the state tax on Social Security benefits for all residents who receive it, was passed.
➤ Upcoming Special Session: Governor plans a special session to address budget adjustments and other priorities, including departmental restructuring and financial management improvements.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — This year’s regular session of the West Virginia Legislature saw lawmakers devote time to debating a number of what Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, calls “social bills.”
Members of the Senate and House of Delegates introduced a number of pieces of potential legislation aimed at addressing conservative cultural issues — such as a bill that would have allowed some teachers to carry concealed firearms or another that would have allowed librarians to be prosecuted over distributing “obscene” material to minors.
Neither of these two bills passed both chambers, but lawmakers still spent some of the 60-day session’s limited amount of time on them and on others like them.
“Look, it’s an election year. There’s a lot of turmoil nationally on different issues. And there was a lot of social bills that was out there also this year,” Blair said during a phone interview with WV News. “People were campaigning with them and saying ‘Well I introduced this or did that.’ It was an interesting year from my standpoint, of being able to manage it.”
What’s important are the bills that ultimately complete the legislative process, Blair said.
“People put in all kinds off stuff,” he said. “It’s what gets passed and the value of what gets passed.”
These social bills grabbed headlines and the public’s attention during the session, overshadowing the substantive bills that were passed. One of the most impactful bills passed will start the process of phasing out state tax collections on Social Security benefits.
