By Ryan Quinn, Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s three main public school worker unions asked Wednesday for Republican Gov. Jim Justice to cancel the special legislative session on education because Republican legislative leaders have continued saying they want to push for legalizing charter schools and non-public school vouchers.
But Brian Abraham, Justice’s general counsel, said Wednesday that the governor can’t do that. Justice called the session, but Abraham said lawmakers technically started it, then recessed, right after the end of the regular legislative session.
“He can’t cancel a session while they’re in it,” Abraham said.
The relevant section of the state constitution says: “The governor may, on extraordinary occasions convene, at his own instance, the Legislature,” and the Legislature then can’t do anything except what’s “in the proclamation by which it was called together.” …
