Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Former 9th District Senator Sue Cline Has Died

Former State Senator Sue Cline, 75, of Brenton, West Virginia, has died.

Cline served in the state senate from 2016 to 2020 representing the 9th Senatorial District. She was defeated in the 2020 Primary Election by David “Bugs” Stover who currently holds the seat.

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin appointed Cline to fill the vacancy left in the West Virginia Senate after Daniel Hall’s resignation. She was a Realtor in the Beckley area and served as the vice president of the Pineville Area Chamber of Commerce. She was also a member of the Wyoming County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

During her time in the Senate, she served with three different Senate presidents. All three issued statements about her passing.

“I was shocked to learn this morning of the passing of former Senator Sue Cline,” Senate President Craig Blair said. “Sue was one of the most dedicated members I have ever served with in the West Virginia Legislature. She was a fighter and a tireless advocate for the families of her district. Her love of her state and her country were second to none. My thoughts and prayers are with her family as they remember and celebrate her life in the coming days.”

“Sue Cline embodied and personified the true essence of a dedicated public servant,” former Senate President Mitch Carmichael said. “She represented the citizens of Wyoming, Raleigh, and McDowell counties with fever, passion, and love. Her contributions to progress and opportunity in West Virginia were total and complete. Her most endearing trait was an enthusiastic, yet quiet faith in God. It is her faith that gives comfort to all who loved and respected Senator Cline that she is now with her heavenly Father.”

“From the moment she arrived to the West Virginia Senate, Sue Cline poured her heart and soul into her service,” former Senate President Bill Cole said. He was in charge of the Senate when she first arrived. “Her kind heart and her strong sense of community guided her in every way. She was a valuable part of a team that helped to change West Virginia. Sue will be sadly missed by all who were blessed to know her, and my prayers are with her family and friends during this time.”

Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin (D-Greenbrier) echoed the sentiments of his colleagues.

“I was heartbroken to learn of the death of our former colleague, Senator Sue Cline, this morning,” Baldwin said. “On behalf of our Democratic caucus, we express our sincere condolences to Sue’s family, friends, and colleagues. I served with Sue for three years and enjoyed getting to know her. She was straightforward, passionate about helping southern West Virginia, and immensely proud of her family. We worked together on a flood relief issue a few years ago, and I saw what a fierce advocate she was for her region. She will be missed, and we thank God for her service to the state of West Virginia.”

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

The 50-50 Split In The U.S. Senate ‘We Have Precedent For This, And It Can Be Done.’

The U.S. Senate is now locked in a 50-50 tie with equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats. This new balance comes after the Georgia runoff election wins by John Ossof and Reverend Raphael Warnock. This is only the fourth time in the history of the United States this has happened.

Reporter Eric Douglas spoke with political science professor Mary Beth Beller, from Marshall University, about what that tie means for the Senate moving forward.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Douglas: The Senate is facing a 50-50 split with the vice president serving as a tiebreaker. What’s that going to be like for the Senate’s ability to get anything done?

Beller: It actually depends on how closely Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell decides that he and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer can work together. We actually have precedent for this, and it can be done. And it can actually be done well. They can use the previous model established by the former Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, in 2001, in which they did several things. First, they agreed to have committees be 50-50, in terms of representation. They also decided that both parties would evenly split the Senate budget. And that’s really important because the budget determines the number of staff positions that each committee can have, that each senator can have. And so they really worked hard to divide things all the way down the line, and work together. Most important is that the controlling party gets to set the calendar, the calendar refers to what items are going to be put on an agenda for consideration by committees, but also what items are coming up for a vote. What Daschle and Lott did was to agree to evenly share that calendar,

Douglas: How successful were they? What were they able to accomplish in 2001?

Beller: The big piece of legislation that came out of that was the “No Child Left Behind Act.” In hindsight, it had a lot of problems and was changed over time and eventually fell by the wayside. But, at the time, it was a bipartisan effort to recognize the necessity of having the federal government involved in education policy. It had been debated between the parties before. So it was a big piece of legislation. And it happened early on during that time period.

Douglas: Do you think it was possible that the fact that they were split 50-50 forced them to negotiate on something like this, versus ‘we have a majority, we can just do whatever we want’ — the kind of approach we’ve seen for the last few years in the Senate?

Beller: We could still see a stalemate, if the Democrats and Republicans see it in their political favor to do so. However, there are a lot of issues where there are some agreements. And so they might be able to work in a bipartisan manner, especially splitting committees 50-50. And budget sharing is a big, big deal. If they agree to do that, then I think that’s going to lend itself toward more cooperation.

Douglas: And maybe not on everything, but on a couple key things. They don’t have to join hands and suddenly become one party.

Beller: Dachle and Lott have both said they understood that there were some policies that their parties just weren’t going to go for. That’s why they set the calendar to prioritize issues where there was common ground. And I think we could get that out of McConnell and Schumer now.

Douglas: You said this has happened before as well. What are some of the historical precedents?

Beller: In 1953, during the President Dwight D. Eisenhower era, with Vice President Richard Nixon as the president of the Senate, but that only lasted a short while. The other time that I’ve found was actually much more contentious. That was in 1881, under President James Garfield’s reign. Back then we only had 37 states, but the Senate was still split. President Garfield needed to call the Senate in to confirm his committee members, and it exploded in a huge fight that lasted 11 weeks. The senators did not want to cooperate. Eventually, one of the Democrats broke ranks with his party and joined the Republicans to caucus. And so that enabled a majority vote in order to get some things done.

Douglas: Do you foresee this 50-50 split going until the next midterm election or do you think there will be something else happening along the way?

Beller: Typically, members of a party really frown on electing someone who then switches parties. It’s not popular in state party politics as you can imagine. So if that 50-50 changes in either direction, it can upset that balance. Obviously, if a senator switches to Democrat, then it would give the Democrats a clear majority. And there would be less emphasis for Schumer to actually share budgets or share policy control with McConnell.

Bill Addresses Pensions, Health Care For Miners, Retirees

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is co-sponsoring a bill with West Virginia’s two U.S. senators and others aimed at preserving the pensions of about 92,000 retired coal miners, as well as the health-care benefits of another 13,000 working miners.

Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia announced the bill Wednesday.

McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said in the statement that he raised the issue of protecting miner pensions and health benefits with President Donald Trump this week, and is “committed to continuing to work with him and my colleagues” toward a solution.

The bill would transfer money from the Abandoned Mine Land fund to prevent the insolvency of a 1974 miners’ pension plan. It also would add coal company bankruptcies from 2018 and 2019 to health-care legislation that passed in 2017.

In the past, the United Mine Workers of America has accused McConnell of blocking pension and health benefits for miners.

“With this one bill, the United States Senate has taken a giant, bipartisan step forward in keeping America’s promise to our coal miners and their families,” UMW President Cecil Roberts said in a statement. “I am especially thankful for Leader McConnell’s support of this legislation. His voice on behalf of retired miners is critical, and I want to thank him on behalf of every retired miner in America.”

Ohio-based Murray Energy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization last week, joining a growing list of struggling mining companies as utilities switch from coal to cheaper and less-polluting renewable energy or natural gas. Murray Energy, which has operations in seven U.S. states, was the fourth largest U.S. coal producer in 2018, accounting for 6% of total production, according to the Energy Information Administration.

In the western United States, three of the Powder River Basin’s nine producers — Colorado’s Westmoreland Coal, Wyoming’s Cloud Peak Energy and West Virginia-based Blackjewel — have filed for bankruptcy protection over the past year.

St. Louis-based Peabody Energy Corp. emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2017 and both St. Louis-based Arch Coal and Bristol, Virginia-based Alpha emerged in 2016.

Capito Continues as Counsel to GOP Senate Leader McConnell

West Virginia’s Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito says she will continue to be counsel to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the new Congress.

Capito will be one of four counsels to the majority leader from Kentucky and member of the Republican majority’s leadership team.

A member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, responsible for spending, Capito will also chair the Financial Services and General Government subcommittee.

She is also on five subcommittees: Commerce, Justice, and Science; Interior and Environment; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.

U.S. Senate Addresses Crumbling Water Infrastructure, Coal Ash

The U.S. Senate passed a bill today to address water infrastructure challenges. It also incorporates provisions that affect coal ash regulations.

The Water Resources Development Act passed almost unanimously through the Senate today: 95-3. It now moves on to the House for consideration. With rare bipartisan support, the bill authorizes water projects across the country, including funding to address thousands of dams in need of repairs in the U.S. — 422 in West Virginia.

“The Water Resources Development Act proactively addresses a number of concerns with our nation’s water infrastructure in a broad, bipartisan way. It will bring short- and long-term gains to our economy and support needed infrastructure improvements in West Virginia and in communities around the country. I worked hard to secure provisions that will protect West Virginia from the type of devastation we experienced this summer from historic flooding, and provisions that will lead to improved water infrastructure and more recreational opportunities along our waterways,” said Senator Capito in a press release.

Provisions secured by West Virginia’s senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito are designed to give states more control over management of coal ash. In a release Manchin called it “commonsense legislation.” His sentiments were echoed by Capito and Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell from Kentucky who both said the bill provides clarity and confidence for industries that deal with coal ash.

“I am proud we were able to come together and pass this commonsense legislation that will protect jobs and our economy, while giving families and businesses the certainty they need,” Senator Manchin said.

The Sierra Club is concerned about the coal ash provisions. A spokesperson said provisions erode public health and safety protections.

There are hundreds of coal ash ponds and disposal sites scattered across West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky.

Capito Named to Counsel for Majority Leader McConnell

Newly elected Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito has been tapped as counsel to new Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Capito’s office said Tuesday in a news release that the West Virginia senator is one of four counsel members McConnell has appointed in the new Congress.

The other Republican senators appointed as counsel are Rob Portman of Ohio, Deb Fischer of Nebraska and Mike Lee of Utah.

The release says the four senators will offer input, guidance and advice to the Republican leadership.

In November, Capito won the seat of long-time Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who has retired.

Tuesday afternoon’s swearing-in marks the start of a new Congress with Republicans in control of both chambers.