When the West Virginia Legislature gavels back in on Monday morning, it will be Day #55.
The 60-day session will be coming to an end Saturday evening at midnight. Has it been successful? Some will say yes, and of course, others will say no. The real answer probably is somewhere in the middle.
It depends on your perspective and agenda.
This year, thousands of bills were introduced, but that is not a true reflection of much. Some are carryovers that may have had a similar or companion bill pass (Companion bills are the same bill introduced in both chambers). Others may contradict or return a new section or change in the code to former language. It could undo what has been passed in a recent legislative session.
During the Second Session of the 86th Legislature, to date, fifty-eight bills have completed action in both bodies. The Governor has signed twenty-seven of them. Several of those will be signed once the Governor and his team finish reviewing them because many of them are not controversial.
And that brings me back to the question, “Has this legislative session been successful?”
Last session, the Legislature passed an income tax cut for West Virginia taxpayers and split the Department of Health and Human Resources into three different departments. Using that kind of action as a Litmus Test of this session, the answer is no. Nothing that kind of “BIG” has taken place this year.
Is that good? Several are upset, and rightfully so, that meaningful legislation relating to the state’s foster care crisis has not been addressed in any productive manner. Plenty of debates on more controversial topics have taken place on the floor, too, so what is the holdup with this? Good question. It was stated early on those in leadership would be entering bills directed at improving child welfare.
There has not been much coverage in this area about this topic being addressed in this session. On February 20, the Governor signed a bill that modified the process of when parental rights are terminated. Another authorizes the Department of Human Services to promulgate legislative rules.
If this is by design for the 2024 election cycle, that’s a shame. The voters want to know where their legislators are on controversial topics and more importantly, want their voices heard.
The educated voters and the ones who are paying attention share different stories than those who are not. All the people deserve to be heard and deserve to have open communication with their legislators and others who represent them.
Hopefully, this session was not one to protect the status quo.
