WV Senate Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Bill To Limit Gender-Affirming Health Care Advances In Senate

The House passed House Bill 2007 last month. During a public hearing on the bill in the House chamber last month, all but two of the dozens of speakers opposed it.

The Senate Health and Human Resources Committee approved a bill Thursday to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender minors.

The House passed House Bill 2007 last month. During a public hearing on the bill in the House chamber last month, all but two of the dozens of speakers opposed it.

HB 2007 would prohibit anyone under 18 from receiving puberty blockers or hormone therapy. It would also ban gender-confirmation surgery for minors, though there is no record of that taking place in West Virginia.

The Senate Health Committee heard from an expert witness, Kacie Kidd, a doctor at West Virginia University who provides gender-affirming care.

“I, to be very honest with you, am very concerned that the withdrawal of this care will result in very profound harm to the young people of our state,” said Kidd, medical director of WVU Medicine’s Children’s Gender and Sexual Development Clinic.

After Kidd’s testimony, the committee approved it and sent it to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The committee vote wasn’t entirely along party lines. Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, one of two physicians on the panel, spoke out against the bill and offered an amendment to ensure that any minor who is currently receiving treatment could continue to do so.

“I cannot, in good conscience, sanction a bill when we know the facts are that this therapy does improve the functionality of a child, it decreases suicide rates, it helps with their mental health,” he said.

Takubo’s amendment was defeated. Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, led the pushback.

“This is still a step where the state is saying it’s okay to go in and frankly, what I would consider, abuse of a child,” Tarr said. “It’s criminal.”

The committee’s chairman, Sen. Mike Maroney, R-Marshall, also a physician, supported Takubo’s amendment.

“This is legitimate, it’s just something that we don’t understand or don’t get. And that’s fine — I chose to stay quiet. But take the step to prohibit those already being treated, to deny them continued treatment? That’s not only uneducated, in my opinion,” he said, “that’s cruel.”

West Virginia is among two dozen states to attempt to restrict health care for transgender youth.

A similar bill in Kentucky was approved by that state’s House Education Committee and full House of Representatives on Thursday.

Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a similar bill into law on Thursday.

Leah Willingham of the Associated Press contributed to this story.

Senate Tax Reform Proposal Gets State Tax Dept. Scrutiny

Details read from a State Tax and Revenue Department Fiscal note on the multifaceted Senate tax reform plan would see a total cost of around $740 million instead of the $600 million Senate projected cost.

Indications that Senate, House and Executive branch leadership were working toward a tax reform compromise got a shake up on the House floor Wednesday.

A state Tax and Revenue Department fiscal note on the Senate tax reform plan indicated a total cost of around $740 million dollars instead of the $600 million Senate projected cost. The note also mentions several problematic references, definitions and other inconsistencies in the bill wording and methodology.

House Finance Committee member, Del. Larry Rowe, D-Kanawha, was troubled by the fiscal note.

“Basically, it would be to fund what was in Amendment 2 that was on the ballot and that the governor opposed,” Rowe said. “The bill ran in six hours. I’ve never seen that in my life, six hours from introduction to sending it to the House with this rule suspension. It came very fast. It’s also got some problems in the writing of the bill.”

Del. Marty Gearheart, R-Mercer, said that he’s not prepared to endorse a Senate plan containing property tax relief elements similar to the failed Amendment 2, such as a 50 percent equipment and inventory property tax cut for West Virginia small businesses.

“It doesn’t mean I’m not confused and maybe a little upset that we can’t get past the fact that something that we placed on the ballot, something that I supported and voted for,” Gearheart said. “However, it didn’t pass. We’ve got two and a half weeks to provide relief to West Virginians. We’ve got two and a half weeks to see to it that they pay less tax. Beyond my confusion, let’s find a way to get it done.”

Rowe said the slow-moving tax reform issue is holding up other things lawmakers need to do, like funding $85 million for passed safe schools legislation – to change the security entries at schools statewide

NAACP And Partners Respond To Governor’s Flat Budget Proposal

The morning after his seventh State of the State address, advocacy groups gathered at the capitol to voice concerns about Gov. Jim Justice’s proposed flat budget.

The West Virginia Education Association partnered with the Charleston chapter of the NAACP and several other West Virginia-based advocacy groups to hold a press conference Thursday morning. Speakers discussed their concerns about the repercussions a flat budget could cause for West Virginians, particularly children, working families and communities of color.

“So our message today is that our children are counting on lawmakers and the governor to set forth a path that helps children thrive and helps families thrive,” said Jim McKay, state coordinator of Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia. “And unfortunately, we’ve seen that despite how many families in every corner of the state who are struggling, lawmakers are not proposing programs to help meet their needs.”

McKay noted the expense of child care as a contributing factor to the struggle of many in the state.

“What we didn’t hear was anything (in the budget) about children after they’re born until they enter school,” McKay said. “And so for our organization, we really want to prioritize the needs of young children, help value moms and dads and by doing that, then children are going to have their best chance of success in school and in life.”

Darryl Clausell is the President of the NAACP of Charleston. He urged legislators to prioritize the needs of West Virginians when passing the budget.

“One, we have to quit playing cookie cutter politics, or party politics. Get to the real issues that affect West Virginians, you know, not legislation to follow a stream of what other states are doing, but it doesn’t really benefit us in West Virginia,” Clausell said. “Let’s not rob Peter to pay Paul, to eliminate one segment of our state income means we’re going to have to have trade offs and make it somewhere else.”

Clausell, McKay and other advocates asked for transparency in budget-making from lawmakers this session, in order to build a budget that works for all West Virginians.

W.Va. Senate District 13 Race — Two Legislative Veterans

The 13th District covers parts of Marion and Monongalia counties, including Morgantown. The candidates are Del. Barbara Evans Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, and Republican Mike Oliverio.

The race for the 13th Senate District features a pair of veteran legislators.

The 13th District covers parts of Marion and Monongalia counties, including Morgantown.

Republican candidate Mike Oliverio served 16 years in the Senate and two years in the House of Delegates, ending that tenure in 2011. He switched parties in 2017.

“I was disappointed with the direction of the National Democratic Party and felt like they no longer focused on the needs of the people of West Virginia,” Oliverio said. “If I were to ever return to public service, it would be in the Republican Party where I could do the most good for my community.”

Oliverio said Morgantown is the state’s health care hub, and it is underserved in Charleston.

“We need to fight for our fair share,” Oliverio said. “We’re the only senate district in West Virginia that doesn’t have a member on the Finance Committee.”

After 26 years in the House, Del. Barbara Evans Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, said the Senate needs more women’s views and she can bring that perspective to the conversation. She plans to continue her health care campaign against diabetes, to see the state offer affordable insulin and treatment for the disease.

“I found out that another thing that is very expensive, are the supplies and equipment that go with being a Type 1 diabetic especially, and also Type 2,” Fleischauer said. “An insulin pump can extend people’s lives by decades. A continuous glucose monitor can tell people if their insulin is getting a little bit out of whack.”

Oliverio said he has a plan to help financially strapped senior citizens.

“That’s something we could do in the form of expanding the homestead exemption,” Oliverio said. “We want to enable our senior citizens to be able to stay in their homes, yet the value of their homes are increasing and their property taxes are increasing.”

Fleischauer plans to continue the fairness fight for the LGBTQ+ community.

“If you are, or if you look different, or if you love somebody, you shouldn’t lose your job or lose your house because of that,” Fleischauer said. “It’s just the same as we shouldn’t have discrimination based on race or gender.”

Both candidates say 13th District secondary roads are desperate for repair. Both Oliverio and Fleischauer argue they have the experience to make a difference.

Public Hearings On Congressional Redistricting Begin This Week

The West Virginia Legislature’s Joint Committee on Redistricting has announced the format for public hearings on redistricting, which are set to begin July 27.

These are listening events for the public to share their thoughts about Congressional and legislative boundary lines. The West Virginia Constitution requires the Legislature to redraw these lines every 10 years using U.S. Census data to reflect any population changes.

Due to the delay in the federal government releasing Census data, specific population numbers will not be available at these events, and the committee will not be presenting any proposed maps. Legislators will not respond to questions during the public hearing.

All 12 in-person public hearings will take place from 6-8 p.m. The sign-in process will begin at 5:30 p.m. Anyone who would like to be guaranteed an opportunity to speak during the hearings will need to be present to sign in by 6 p.m. The events will begin shortly after 6 p.m. with welcome remarks and a reminder of these procedures.

The number of people who sign in to speak at each hearing will be divided by the amount of time available for the event to determine the amount of time each person will have to speak. A red light will indicate when each speaker has reached that time limit.

You can find more information on the process online.

Hearings are scheduled for the following dates and locations, and are subject to change:

July 27: Putnam County Judicial Building, The Courtroom, Room 202, 12093 Winfield Road Winfield, WV 25213

July 29: Chief Logan Lodge Hotel Conference Center, 1000 Conference Center Drive, Logan, WV 25601

Aug. 3: Tamarack, Gov. Hulett C. Smith Theater 1 Tamarack Park, Beckley, WV 25801

Aug. 4: Summersville Arena & Conference Center 3 Armory Way, Summersville, WV 26651

Aug. 10: Stonewall Resort State Park, Birch Room, 149 State Park Trail, Roanoke, WV 26447

Aug. 12: Monongalia County Extension Services & 4H Center at Mylan Park, 270 Mylan Park Lane, Morgantown, WV 26501

Aug. 17: Martinsburg Sheriff’s Office Meeting Room 510 S Raleigh St, Martinsburg, WV 25401

Aug. 18: Keyser VFD Station 2, 1550 Cornell St Keyser WV 26726

Aug. 24: Wheeling Independence Hall, 1528 Market St, Wheeling, WV 26003

Aug. 26: Cabell County Courthouse, Courtroom #1 Judge Paul Farrell’s courtroom 750 5th Ave, Huntington, WV 25701

Sept. 9: The Culture Center, Building 9, Capitol Complex, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25305

Sept. 16: Judge Donald F. Black, Courthouse Annex,317 Market St, Parkersburg, WV 26101

Legislative Leadership Joins The Legislature Today

House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, (R) Clay, and Senate President Craig Blair, (R) Berkeley, join The Legislature Today from the Capitol building.

Friday evening’s discussion focuses on the challenges and goals of a legislative session in the middle of a pandemic. The 6pm broadcast also highlights the week’s floor debates and updates the status of multiple bills as the session reaches day 10 of 60.