West Virginia Workers Compensation Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Campus Carry Bill Nears The Legislative Finish Line

On this episode of The Legislature Today, Senate Bill 10 is expected to pass the House of Delegates on Tuesday and head to Gov. Jim Justice for a signature. The bill would allow people with concealed carry permits to carry guns on college and university campuses. West Virginia University and Marshall, among others in the state, have spoken out against it. At a public hearing last week, 38 of the 40 speakers spoke against the bill.

On this episode of The Legislature Today, Senate Bill 10 is expected to pass the House of Delegates on Tuesday and head to Gov. Jim Justice for a signature. The bill would allow people with concealed carry permits to carry guns on college and university campuses. West Virginia University and Marshall, among others in the state, have spoken out against it. At a public hearing last week, 38 of the 40 speakers spoke against the bill.

Government Reporter Randy Yohe sat down with Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, and Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, to get a better understanding on the bill.

Also, it was the 41st day of the 60-day West Virginia Legislative session, and it was also the last day to introduce bills in the Senate. The House passed that milestone last week.

The House of Delegates held a public hearing Monday morning. It was focused on a bill that would change the state’s workers compensation law limiting the penalties companies pay when a worker gets injured on the job. Randy Yohe has our report.

With the number of public high school students that decide to pursue college education seeing a noticeable decline over the past few years, legislators are trying to bolster post-secondary education numbers. Shepherd Snyder has more.

Finally, at the start of the session, House Speaker Roger Hanshaw said improving the state’s post-secondary attainment rate was a priority. Chris Schulz has more on where those proposals stand.

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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.

February 21, 1913: Legislature Passes Workers' Compensation System

On February 21, 1913, the legislature passed an act creating a workers’ compensation system.

It had been a major campaign issue for incoming Governor Henry Hatfield. In his work as a coalfields physician, Hatfield recognized the need to support injured workers financially.

The system went into effect in October 1913. In the case of a fatal accident, workers’ compensation paid the funeral expenses of the deceased and a stipend for widows and children. In the case of partial disability, workers received half their salaries.

The funds came from a premium paid by employers in exchange for a guarantee they couldn’t be sued by workers injured on the job. This stipulation changed in 1978, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that injured workers could still sue employers under certain conditions.

The workers’ compensation system was always a financial challenge and a source of political controversy. Some felt workers took advantage of workers’ comp, and others accused businesses of not paying their fair share. In 2005, with the system facing bankruptcy, the legislature transferred workers’ comp to a private mutual insurance company, which would become BrickStreet Mutual.

Senator Joe Manchin Born in Fairmont: August 24, 1947

U.S. Senator and former governor Joe Manchin was born in Fairmont on August 24, 1947. Growing up in the Marion County town of Farmington, he worked in his family’s grocery and furniture stores. He later returned to Farmington to run Manchin’s Carpet Center and eventually his own energy-brokering firm.

In the 1980s, the lifelong Democrat served a term in the House of Delegates and began a 14-year stint in the state Senate, where he promoted welfare, health care, and Medicaid reforms. A staunch Catholic, he opposed abortion rights, putting him at odds with many Democrats.

In 1996, Manchin ran for governor but lost a bitter Democratic primary to Charlotte Pritt. In the November election, Manchin—and many conservative Democrats—refused to support Pritt, who lost to Republican Cecil Underwood.

Manchin became secretary of state in 2001 and, in 2004, defeated Monty Warner to become West Virginia’s first Catholic governor. During his term, he helped pay down West Virginia’s debt and privatize the workers’ compensation system.

In 2010, Joe Manchin defeated John Raese in a special election to fill the late Robert C. Byrd’s U.S. Senate seat.