Federal funding for arts and culture has been curtailed. Trey Kay looks at the reasons in the latest Us & Them. Also, the state board of education has approved another round of school closures and consolidations, the state Legislature is expected to take up several bills in the coming session to address foster care and children who are homeless, and U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was laid to rest Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton.
On this episode of The Legislature Today, there have been a number of health-related issues discussed this legislative session – from gender-affirming care, to PEIA coverage and foster care. For this week’s reporter roundtable, Chris Schulz speaks with WVPB’s Appalachia Health News Reporter Emily Rice and Allen Siegler from Mountain State Spotlight.
Also, the West Virginia House of Delegates approved House Bill 2007 on Friday. The legislation would limit gender-affirming medical treatments and surgeries for transgender youth. HB 2007 passed on a vote of 84 to 10. It now goes to the Senate.
The Senate took up two bills Friday relating to gambling in the state, and two of the bills considered on third reading in the House dealt with immigration laws and county financial transparency.
Finally, the Senate Finance Committee spent the first several weeks of the session hearing budgetary presentations from every department of state government. But Friday morning, the committee turned its attention to how the last of the state’s coronavirus relief funds were spent. Chris Schulz has this story.
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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.
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For some Americans, this year’s political earthquakes hit close to home. Trey Kay reflects on federal budget cuts, the elimination of programs and agencies and the resulting layoffs of hundreds of thousands of workers. 2025 was also a year highlighting escalated immigration enforcement, and the deployment of National Guard troops in U.S. cities. One of those missions resulted in the tragic loss of a West Virginia National Guard soldier. On this end-of-year episode of Us & Them, we examine how today’s culture-war battles are reshaping the nation’s foundation.
Federal funding for arts and culture has been curtailed. Trey Kay looks at the reasons in the latest Us & Them. Also, the state board of education has approved another round of school closures and consolidations, the state Legislature is expected to take up several bills in the coming session to address foster care and children who are homeless, and U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was laid to rest Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton.
There are 15,101 students experiencing homelessness in the state, according to a report given to the Joint Committee on Children and Families during December interim meetings. These are students outside of foster care. Of those, 86% are living with others, 5.4% are staying in shelters, 4.3% are in hotels and motels, and 4.3% are unsheltered. The committee discussed a number of bills Monday they plan to introduce when the regular session begins in January. The hope is to create clearer pathways for children to find permanent stability.
