BECKLEY, W.Va . — Lawmakers will gather in Charleston Sunday to vote on nominees for Senate and House leadership positions and begin setting the agenda for the coming legislative session.
The 2017 Legislative session starts in February. Jim Justice will be inaugurated as West Virginia’s new governor on Jan. 16.
For legislative leadership, Sen. Ed Gaunch, R-Kanawha, conceded the race to Sen. Mitch Carmichael, R-Jackson, who likely will be the next Senate President.
Carmichael previously told The Register-Herald that Ryan Ferns, R-Ohio, will be the new majority leader and Sen. Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, will remain as the majority whip.
Media outlets have previously reported that conservative Democratic Sen. Roman Prezioso expects to be the next Senate minority leader.
On the opening day of the legislative session, Jan. 11, the Senate will gavel in, select a president from the candidates for both parties, a vote the Republicans will likely win since they hold a 22-12 seat advantage. Legislators will then go home for a month and reconvene Feb. 8 for the 60-day run of the 2017 session.
Sunday, coinciding with regularly scheduled state legislative interim meetings, Republican elected officials will meet in Charleston to discuss coordination between state and federal representatives in the year ahead.
At the meeting will be U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Congressman Evan Jenkins, Congressman David McKinley, Congressman Alex Mooney, House Speaker Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Senate President-elect Mitch Carmichael, State Auditor-elect J.B. McCuskey, Commissioner of Agriculture-elect Kent Leonhardt and Secretary of State-elect Mac Warner.
“Interims” come together periodically between regular sessions to give legislators a leg up on the session ahead. Lawmakers meet in joint committees, composed of members of the House and the Senate, to discuss issues and potential bills that may be addressed in the upcoming legislative session or those that did not pass during the previous session that need additional study.
This year, some of the topics include children and families, veterans’ affairs, health, education, infrastructure, water resources and tax reform. Additionally, committees will discuss accountability for the departments of education, transportation, and health and human resources. Planned meetings on economic development, labor and worker safety and energy have been canceled.
Interims start with a late afternoon schedule Sunday, followed by two full days of meetings Monday and Tuesday, and ending Wednesday with a four-hour Senate Judiciary committee meeting on legislative rule-making.
