When the West Virginia Legislature gaveled back in this morning, it was day thirty-four of the 60-day legislative session. At the end of last week, it was starting to get more exciting than many say the session has been so far. Is it because it is an election year and all 100 delegates are either up for re-election, not pursuing elected office, or are seeking a different office?
That plays a part in this, for sure.
At this time in session, tempers are getting weary and growing short. Tuesday, Day 35, is the last day to introduce bills in the House. Day 41, this year February 19, is the last day to introduce bills in the Senate. It gets much trickier to get a piece of legislation moving once you have to find a bill, altering the same code section, which is gaining traction, to amend in changes, although the Senate does this masterfully.
So, let us start there, with the House and Senate. Each body has its priorities. Sometimes, the big ones line up and match and sometimes they do not. Just prior to the start of the second term of the 86th Legislative Session, Senate President Craig Blair said the Senate will focus on the issue of school discipline. Several bills have been introduced to address the issues occurring in the classrooms, and in Blair’s words, to “be able to take that disruptive student out.”
Speaker Roger Hanshaw stated one of the concerns for the House is monitoring the new higher education funding formula that will go into effect this year. A past legislature, of which I was proud to be a member, worked with the higher education institutions to create this state’s first mathematical quantitative funding formula to allocate resources using a performance-based model. The Higher Education Policy Commission would determine and collect the data using a three-year rolling average and other information.
Of course, the goal is to have students prepared for their diplomas and ready to enter the workforce.
With a quite different focus, what does each member’s priorities look like? Well, President Blair is working with 33 other senators, 30 of which are members of his same party. Speaker Hanshaw has the more challenging role of herding cats, with 99 other members, 11 of which represent the minority party, 88 from his same party, and different factions of the party at that. Each member has their own goals and objectives to carry out this session and will have to work not only to get their bills on committee agendas and through their respective bodies, but also across the finish line.
It was in the Speaker’s absence, due to illness, last week, on day 30, the familiarity started to breed contempt, and a House Clerk staff obliged with a request made to read the bills, in their entirety instead of the traditional short title.
The next two weeks, tempers will be getting short as the sands in the hourglass are diminishing at times what will feel like warp speed. The dates on the calendar are quickly approaching and our founding fathers have laid out the rules as to how to proceed.
Day 60 is quickly approaching. Let’s maximize the remaining time and work for the people of West Virginia.
