Tag: Senate Bill 10

Senate Judiciary Advances Campus Carry Bill

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to the Senate floor Thursday that would allow the concealed carry of handguns on the state’s university campuses.

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced a bill to the Senate floor Thursday that would allow the concealed carry of handguns on the state’s university campuses.

Senate Bill 10 would allow holders of concealed handgun permits to carry concealed on all of the state’s higher education campuses, regardless of existing restrictions. The presidents of the state’s leading public universities have said they oppose the measure.

Eleven other states currently require colleges and universities to allow concealed carry including Arkansas, Kansas and Georgia which all passed similar legislation in 2017.

While SB 10 does exclude many on campus locations from concealed carry, the law ultimately limits schools’ ability to restrict handguns on campus, and requires the institutions to provide gun safes in dormitories.

Sen. Jay Taylor, R-Taylor, said the bill protects Second Amendment rights.

“This is allowing everyone to have their Second Amendment rights so that they’re able to defend themselves,” he said. “It’s a dangerous world out there, and I think when people are free to exercise their Second Amendment rights, it’s a safer world.”

Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, was the sole objector to the bill, questioning the bill’s safety, as well as the financial and logistical responsibility it introduces for schools.

“I think it’s a huge burden that we’re putting on the universities,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a huge cost. I think it’s gonna be a huge headache, and I just hope and pray that we’re not having a conversation about how this was a bad idea.”

Within moments of the committee convening Wednesday afternoon, Marshall University President Brad Smith and West Virginia University President Gordon Gee tweeted out a joint statement.

“We…support local control, and we believe that our boards of governors are best suited to decide whether guns should be permitted on campus. We therefore do not support statewide campus carry,” the statement reads.

“Whether it is mental health challenges facing some students, discussion about grades, recruitment of new students and faculty, or the protection of open and honest debate of ideas, we are concerned about inserting firearms into these types of situations,” they said.

The statement also asked that if such a bill were passed, that it include best practices and safeguards related to campus carry as established in other states, such as not allowing concealed carry at venues with more than 1,000 spectators, in laboratories with hazardous substances or in campus day cares.

Many of the listed restrictions, including the above, are already included in the body of the bill.

A revised version of SB 10 was reported to the Senate at large, and is expected to be taken up on first reading Friday, Jan. 20.

Four similar bills, one in the Senate and three in the House, have been introduced so far this session primarily under the title “The Campus Self-Defense Act.”

House Passes Bill Banning Common Second-Trimester Abortion Technique

Members of the House of Delegates passed a bill that would ban a commonly used second-trimester abortion method.

Senate Bill 10 passed 86 to 13  in the House Monday. 

This bill bans dilation and evacuation, or D&E, abortions. It allows those procedures to take place, however, in cases of medical emergencies. Some OBGYNs have testified before lawmakers that the bill takes away one of the safest options for women and interferes with the doctor-patient relationship.

The bill was on third reading with pending amendments Monday. 

One amendment, offered by Del. Nancy Guthrie, a Democrat from Kanawha County, would have added a provision to allow for an elective D&E abortion if a woman was a victim of incest or rape if the rape is reported to a law-enforcement agency.

However, Del. Patrick Lane, a Republican from Kanawha County, pointed out that this provision was already covered in the bill, and the amendment was rejected on a role call vote of 16 to 82.

Senate Bill 10 now goes to the governor for consideration.

House to Vote on Bill Banning Certain Abortions

Members of the House will vote on a bill Monday that would ban a commonly used second-trimester abortion method.

Senate Bill 10 bans dilation and evacuation, or D&E, abortions, but allows those procedures to take place in cases of medical emergencies. Some doctors, however, have testified before lawmakers that the bill takes away one of the safest options for women and interferes with the doctor-patient relationship.

Delegates would have amended the bill Saturday, but after a motion from Majority Leader Daryl Cowles, the bill was pushed to third reading with pending amendments.

As of Saturday evening, only Del. Nancy Guthrie, a Democrat from Kanawha County had offered an amendment. It adds a provision to allow for an elective D&E abortion if a woman was a victim of incest or rape if the rape is reported to a law-enforcement agency.

The amendment and the bill will be voted on in the House Monday.

House Judiciary Passes Dismemberment-Abortion Ban

A Senate bill that would ban elective dismemberment abortions in the state is now making its way through the House. The bill was the subject of a public hearing Monday and passed through the House Health Committee before being taken up by the Judiciary Committee Wednesday.

Senate Bill 10, as approved in the Senate last week, would ban what are commonly referred to as dismemberment abortions or dilation and evacuation abortions, D&E. The ban would not apply in cases of medical emergencies.

Physicians have testified before lawmakers that the method is the safest option, but Delegate Joe Ellington, the House Health Committee Chair and a practicing OBGYN, says there are other procedures that can ensure the death of the fetus before D&E takes place, like injections to stop the heart. Under this bill, those procedures would still be allowed.

Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer is a Democrat from Monongalia County. She spoke against the bill.

“This is an emotional topic, and I understand we have differing views, but there’s one thing we all took an oath to uphold and that is the constitution, and I don’t think we have the right to pick and choose which parts of the constitution we’re going to obey,” she said.

The House Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 10. It now goes to the House floor for consideration.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

House Begins Discussion Over Abortion Bill

The House of Delegates is just beginning its work on a bill that would ban one of the nation’s most commonly used second-trimester abortion methods.

As approved in the Senate, Senate Bill 10 would ban what are commonly referred to as dismemberment abortions. That ban is only when the abortion is elective, not in cases of medical emergencies. Discussion over the bill began with a public hearing Monday morning.

Senate Bill 10 would ban what are medically known as dilation and evacuation abortions in West Virginia. While physicians say D&E abortions are common across the country, testimony given before the state Senate said those abortions is actually rare in West Virginia. Physicians also testified it is one of the safest abortion options.

But during a public hearing on the bill Monday morning, 5 people spoke in favor of banning the practice, calling the technique gruesome. 

Senate Bill 10 requires doctors performing these types of abortions euthanize the fetus before dismemberment. Delegate Joe Ellington is the House’s Health Committee Chair, and he’s also a practicing OBGYN.

“There’s pros and cons to both sides of it,” Ellington said, “One part is terminating a fetus that’s alive before it is extracted by the procedure that the sponsors are trying to eliminate. It does affect the standard of care that’s currently in place with the medical profession. From an obstetrician’s standpoint, I’m going to have to balance that with what the proponents are willing to try to do.”

Members of the House Health Committee could take up Senate Bill 10 as soon as Tuesday.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.

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