Lawmakers Push Back after Emergency Lantern Lighting

On The Legislature Today, Gov. Jim Justice says he or members of his staff will be in his “war room” every morning through the end of the legislative session, inviting lawmakers from both parties to join him to work on a budget.

This morning was the first of those meetings and while some lawmakers did attend, they were all members of the Democratic Party.

Gov. Justice’s lighting of the state of emergency lantern atop the Capitol dome received immediate criticism yesterday from the Senate President and House Speaker in written statements. The move also sparked responses from Republican members on the House and Senate floors.

A House Education subcommittee is also lawmakers study the ability for counties to make changes to their standards. Some Republican members of the subcommittee believe counties should be able to address the economic needs in their area through education.

 
West Virginia decided to get serious about recycling 20 years ago. That’s when lawmakers passed a bill to cut the amount of trash sent to the state’s landfills in half by 2010. Glynis Board found out West Virginia never did hit that mark. Or anything close. And lawmakers have done little since to encourage citizens to reduce the amount of trash they’re creating. She has this report about the state of recycling in West Virginia.