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Priorities for the rest of the session
By Pamela Pritt, Register-Herald reporter
With fewer than 14 days before this legislative session adjourns as scheduled, lawmakers still have hundreds of bills to sort and prioritize. Some will make it into law, most will not. But first and foremost, the state must have a balanced budget.
And that balancing act is causing wear and tear on lawmakers who had hoped for a year of tax reform.
Senate President Bill...
High schools with 90-percent graduation rates recognized at State Capitol
By Shauna Johnson | WV MetroNews
More than 90 percent of the seniors at 47 West Virginia high schools graduated as part of the Class of 2015.
On Friday, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin joined Dr. Michael Martirano, state superintendent of schools, and Mike Green, president of the state Board of Education, along with lawmakers, school administrators and others to recognize those schools during...
Do we really need Constitutional Carry?
Hoppy's Commentary | Hoppy Kercheval
The Legislature has passed and sent to Governor Tomblin the Constitutional Carry bill. HB 4145 eliminates the requirement for a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Currently, West Virginians have to obtain a...
Smoking tax increase clears Senate, heads to the House
By Hoppy Kercheval | WV MetroNews
The state Senate has approved on a bi-partisan vote a $1 per pack increase in the cigarette tax to help offset the state’s budget problems, while reducing the high rate of tobacco use.
SB 420 would increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes to $1.55. Governor Tomblin proposed only a 45-cent increase. The bill also raises the tax on other tobacco...
West Virginia Senate OKs permitless concealed gun bill
By Jonathan Mattise Associated Press
People 21 years and older would be allowed to carry concealed guns in West Virginia without permits or training under a bill that passed the Senate on Monday.
Senators voted 24-9 to approve the measure Monday. The bill requires at least one additional House vote before the Republican-led Legislature sends it to Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, who vetoed a similar...