On this episode of The Legislature Today, News Director Eric Douglas sits down with Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, to discuss his goals for the 2024 West Virginia Legislative session.
On this episode of The Legislature Today, News Director Eric Douglas sits down with Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, to discuss his goals for the 2024 West Virginia Legislative session.
Also, teachers may be able to teach intelligent design in public schools if a Senate education bill becomes law. Emily Rice has the story.
Finally, two resolutions were once again introduced in the House. The first would directly affect our state-elected constitutional officers; the other gives powers usually reserved for the legislature to the people.
Having trouble viewing the video below? Click here to watch it on YouTube.
The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s only television/radio simulcast devoted to covering the state’s 60-day regular legislative session.
Watch or listen to new episodes Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
**Editor’s Note: A previous version of this post stated there was a story in this episode from Curtis Tate on a solar facility. That was an error. This story had to be cut last minute for time. It instead aired in the Jan. 17, 2024 episode of The Legislature Today.
On this episode of The Legislature Today, Randy Yohe talks with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, about his hopes for this session. Also, Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, spoke from his seat on the Senate floor Monday to introduce a resolution calling on the state’s congressional delegation to reform the federal permitting process.
On this episode of The Legislature Today, Randy Yohe talks with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, about his hopes for this session.
Also, Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, spoke from his seat on the Senate floor Monday to introduce a resolution calling on the state’s congressional delegation to reform the federal permitting process.
In the House, the body advanced a bill that would help those with dementia and their families in case of an emergency often called a walk away. Yohe reports.
And, Monday was also Child Advocacy Day at the Capitol, bringing together child welfare advocates to provide resources and educate the public. Emily Rice has the story.
Finally, it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and there were speeches and other activities such as ringing the state bell after a quick march from the Culture Center to the Capitol. This is an annual event. Bob Brunner brings us the story.
Having trouble watching the video below? Click here to watch it on YouTube.
The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s only television/radio simulcast devoted to covering the state’s 60-day regular legislative session.
Watch or listen to new episodes Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Two days into the 86th West Virginia Legislative session, the Senate introduced another 99 bills Thursday after entering nearly 200 bills Wednesday.
Two days into the 86th West Virginia Legislative session, the Senate introduced another 99 bills Thursday after entering nearly 200 bills Wednesday.
The majority of those bills were sent to committees for further discussion while some were moved to first and second reading.
A couple notable bills on second reading include:
Senate Bill 154 increases penalties for drug possession and updates lists of offenses.
Senate Bill 162 would establish a summer feeding-for-all program.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, said the bills that have moved to second reading are all bills that had almost the full Senate’s support last session but were not passed into law.
“Pretty much the entire Senate voted to affirm those to move them along last year, and for whatever reason they didn’t pass in the House,” Takubo said. “So we relisted those again this year, just to speed the time when nobody had any issues.”
The West Virginia Constitution prohibits legislators from being appointed to any position created under a law passed during their term of office.
On Aug. 30, Gov. Jim Justice appointed then Del. Mike Honaker, R-Greenbrier, to serve in the legislatively created position of Inspector General for the state Department of Homeland Security. Honaker immediately resigned his position in the House of Delegates.
The position was created by passing House Bill 3360 in the 2023 regular West Virginia Legislative session.
In an interview with West Virginia Public Broadcasting following the apparent appointment, Honaker said his primary duty is to conduct inquiries and, where needed, full scope investigations involving agencies that include the state Department of Corrections and the West Virginia State Police. He said he will work with the Corrections Inspector General on the many allegations and lawsuits facing that department and conduct his own prison inspection tour.
“My work is when there are allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, and maybe even matters that rise to a level of criminal investigation,” Honaker said in the interview.
When he was asked about taking the position he had just voted on, he said that was never discussed or considered.
“Absolutely not,” Honaker said. “It was never discussed, and never occurred to me.”
However, Article VI, Sec 15 of the West Virginia Constitution prohibits legislators from being appointed to any position created under a law passed during their term of office.
In a written statement, responding to an inquiry about the appointment, Justice’s Press Secretary C.J. Harvey said: “Mike Honaker was hired into an existing position within the Secretary of Homeland Security’s office as inspector general, rather than formally appointed to the statutorily created position as head of the Office of Inspector General. The governor believes Honaker to be the best man to serve in this role, and intends to formally appoint him to the statutorily created position at a later date.”
Honaker spent nearly three decades in numerous positions with the Virginia State Police, including special agent in charge of a division of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Richmond, Justice‘s office said in a press release. Honaker later served as the Greenbrier County Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Director of the Greenbrier County 911 Center.
That appointment will have to go through the Senate, beginning with the Committee on Confirmations. Sen. Donna Boley, R-Pleasants, chairs the committee. In an interview just after learning of the constitutional confusion, Boley said the issue will be investigated.
“It’s unconstitutional for a delegate or senator to vote on something that he later benefits from,” Boley said. “The governor may be right. I don’t know, at this stage.”
Boley said there is a legal question to consider and she hasn’t spoken to the rest of the committee.
“We have good communications between the governor’s office and the Senate,” Boley said. “Normally, if something comes up that most of the committee members are opposed to, we’ll ask the governor to pull that nomination. I just don’t know at this point in time whether that’ll happen or not.”
The Inspector General position created in the statute covers all the agencies that are under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security. Those include West Virginia State Police, Division of Corrections, Fire Marshal’s Office, Parole Board, the Division of Emergency Management, the Division of Justice and Community Services.
Since Boley first started working in the state Senate there has been seven governors and seven US presidents.
In 1991, Donna Boley was the only Republican in the state Senate. Now she is part of a Republican supermajority in the West Virginia Legislature.
Boley, of Pleasants County, was appointed by Republican Gov. Arch Moore in 1985. She has been elected 11 times since then and is the longest serving senator in the state’s history.
“It never dawned on me that we would become a majority or supermajority,” Boley said.
Many of her past colleagues, sick of having so little political power, decided not to run again — leaving her the only Republican in the Senate for a couple years.
“They just decided that at the last minute they weren’t going to run, because they didn’t like being in the minority,” Boley said. “So, I guess if they didn’t like being in the minority, they just walked away.”
But Boley stayed. For many years, she said she was the only “no” vote.
“I never had a problem being in the minority because I always thought we would be the minority,” Boley said.
Donna Boley was sworn in by Gov. Arch Moore on May 14, 1985.
Courtesy
However, throughout the 2000s and 2010s, more and more Republicans won.
“Everything sort of changed in 2014,” she said.
After the 2014 midterm, the Senate officially flipped. Seventeen Republicans were elected, and 17 Democrats were elected.
While some officials were trying to figure out who would be the Senate President, others were trying to find a senator who was willing to switch to another party — and bring with them majority control.
That senator was Danial Hall of Wyoming County. After being elected as a Democrat, he switched.
“It made the (tally) 18 to 16. So, we took over that night,” Boley said.
The close split between the parties didn’t last long. By 2020, Republicans had a supermajority, meaning they occupied two-thirds of the seats in both the House and Senate.
For Boley and other Republicans, this was the beginning of a new era for Republicans in West Virginia. But unlike many of her colleagues, Boley had been around to see the limitations and challenges that supermajorities face from watching how the Democrats used their once vast powers.
“You tend to start fighting amongst yourself,” she said.
Last session, Republicans did fight among themselves. Republican Sen. Robert Karnes of Randolph County was removed from the Senate chamber after he demanded some of the bills be read in full — a tactic occasionally used in the legislature to use up a lot of time and to make a political point.
Boley also has some wisdom to pass down to her Democratic colleagues.
“Well, the minority leader now is Sen. (Mike) Woelfel. And he stopped me during the regular session and said, ‘I need to talk to you. It looks like I might be appearing next year as the lone Democrat.’ And I said, ‘Well you know, just enjoy it. There is not much you can do except stand up and vote no. If you don’t agree with it, just vote no,” Boley said.
And that’s what Boley did, and said she will continue to do until she is ready to retire — which she said she doesn’t plan on doing currently.
Outside work, Boley loves to spend time with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She said she tries to see them as much as possible. She loves her work in the legislature and said she is grateful she stayed — even when she was the only one.
On this West Virginia Morning, a levy funding battle between one West Virginia county’s school, library and parks systems could have statewide implications.
Also, Briana Heaney sat down with the longest serving state Senator in state history.
On this West Virginia Morning, a levy funding battle between one West Virginia county’s school, library and parks systems could have statewide implications.
Also, Briana Heaney sat down with Republican Donna Boley from Parkersburg – the longest serving state Senator in state history – to learn about the changes she has seen.
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 Concord University and Shepherd University. Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
