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Q&A: How Campaign Finance Changes Could Affect W.Va.

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On this West Virginia Morning, West Virginians will soon be allowed to give more money to political groups in the state. Political donors will be allowed to give $2,800 to candidate committees, $5,000 to political action committees and $10,000 to state party executive committees.

All of those limits had been set at $1,000.

The changes are a result of Senate Bill 622, a measure that passed the Legislature and was signed into law last month by Gov. Jim Justice.

But the bill wasn’t without controversy. Discussions at the Capitol showed the measure was highly partisan — with Republicans in support and Democrats opposed.

Dave Mistich spoke with Dan Weiner, of New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice, about how Senate Bill 622 will affect politics here. 

Also on today’s show, West Virginia Author Jeff Mann says it’s taken him decades to figure out how to juggle his identities as both a proud Appalachian and a gay man. For much of his life, the two have felt mutually exclusive. 

But now, Mann and a group of LGBTQ poets and authors from across the region are working to make sure young, queer Appalachians don’t feel like they have to choose between who they are and the place they call home. 100 Days in Appalachia’s Anna Patrick reports.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content. 

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.