This week's broadcast of Mountain Stage is a special episode featuring songs that represent the four seasons of the year. You'll hear live performances by Doc Watson, Bruce Hornsby, Susan Werner, Molly Tuttle, Taj Mahal, Norah Jones and many more.
The bill relates to reasonable accommodations under the West Virginia Fair Housing Act for persons with disabilities who need assistive animals. The bill would not only include seeing-eye dogs, but also support animals that one might not think of such as therapy dogs for returning veterans with PTSD.
The bill one of the governor’s bills that would supplement, amend, increase, decrease, and add items of appropriations in the accounts of the Volunteer Fire Departments and Public Services accounts, among others, for designated spending during fiscal year 2014.
This bill’s Constitutionality was brought into question Tuesday.
“The Constitution indicates that when we are doing any type of supplemental appropriations such as this after the budget has been passed that it should address one work or purpose and not several,” Minority Leader Tim Armstead said. “Not necessarily an opposition to what the contents of this bill was but a concern that it could call into question the validity of the passage of this supplemental.”
Ultimately, the House concluded that there was enough confidence in the bill’s Constitutionality that it would not be hindered by future court rulings as it passed 94-4.
On this West Virginia Morning, health care services for nearly 30 percent of West Virginia’s population may be difficult to access if lawmakers don’t fully fund the Medicaid program in an expected special session. Emily Rice has more.
On this West Virginia Morning, drinking water in Wyoming County is making people sick but it’s unclear who is responsible. Also, a look at voter concerns ahead of May's primary election.
Across the nation, more than 390,000 children rely on foster care. However, a shortage of licensed foster homes is creating a national crisis. While official foster care cases are carefully tracked, many informal examples of kinship care aren’t part of the data. For this Us & Them episode, we hear the experiences of those who’ve been part of the foster care system.
On this West Virginia Morning, domestic violence prevention advocates lined the State Capitol rotunda in February, seeking a budget increase. They said lawmakers were receptive to the idea. But no increase was passed before this year’s regular legislative session ended. Jack Walker checked in with domestic violence prevention advocates on funding needs as a potential special session approaches.