Legislative Focus Shifts to Budget

On this West Virginia Morning, the teacher work stoppage is over and schools are back in operation, so now attention at the Capitol has shifted to the state’s budget.

The House and Senate are considering versions of a budget bill during these last few days of the regular session. On last night’s episode of The Legislature Today, host Andrea Lannom spoke with Senate Finance Vice Chairman Greg Boso and House Finance Minority Vice Chairman Mick Bates to discuss differences and areas where the two chambers agree. We have an excerpt from that interview.

Also on today’s show, Ohio Valley farmers are facing some tough decisions about whether to use a controversial herbicide blamed for damaging millions of acres of crops. The spray dicamba is meant to protect soybeans from weeds but can harm other plants if improperly applied. The Ohio Valley ReSource’s Nicole Erwin reports that even some farmers trained on proper use of the herbicide say it might not be worth the risk.