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Big legislation makes sesssion a win for state
March 30, 2012 This year’s regular session of the Legislature was, I believe, a success. more »»
K-12 Education: Federal Involvement
March 23, 2012 I hear a lot of complaints from constituents about our public schools. Some are valid, some are not. more »»
Helping to reform county government
March 16, 2012 This year I sponsored a bill along with Delegate Barbara Fleischauer of Monongalia County (Morgantown) that would have given West Virginians more guaranteed options for changing the form of their... more »»
Will the Shepherdstown Battlefield be saved?
March 9, 2012 A couple of weeks ago the National Park Service held four presentations on the question of whether or not to take the site of the Civil War Battle of Shepherdstown into the national park system. more »»
Insurance Information, Please
March 2, 2012 On Feb. 26, the House of Delegates passed a bill allowing injured parties to inquire about how much insurance coverage a person who has possibly inflicted a tort has. more »»
Jefferson County Day(s) at the Capitol
February 24, 2012 Almost 60 people from Jefferson County came to Charleston early this week in two groups (and on two large buses) to visit the state capitol, promote our county and learn from legislators (local and... more »»
W.Va. sets trend with OPEB bill
February 17, 2012 The Legislature passed a little over a week ago a bill that puts the state on track to eliminate the unfunded liability for other post employment benefits (OPEB). more »»
Headaches renewing drivers’ licenses
February 10, 2012 I and other legislators have been besieged with complaints from folks trying to renew their drivers’ licenses this year. The rules became very different beginning Jan. 3. more »»
Human trafficking being tackled
February 3, 2012 From the time I was elected to the House of Delegates in 1992 until just over a month ago I was a member of the House of Delegates Finance Committee. more »»
Firearms legislation resulting in emails
January 27, 2012 Each year for the past several (I can’t remember how many — it’s at least a half dozen) I’ve introduced a bill that would limit gun purchases to one per month. more »»
Understanding RIFs in our school system
January 20, 2012 Delegate Tiffany Lawrence and I spent about a half hour this week on the phone with Pete Dougherty, President of the Jefferson County Board of Education, talking about the prospect of layoffs of... more »»
Redistricting a victory for Jefferson County
January 13, 2012 Last week a three-judge panel assembled to hear the lawsuit in federal court by the Jefferson County Commission over this year’s congressional redistricting ruled in favor of Jefferson County. more »»
Additional judiciary required in region
January 5, 2012 Caseloads for circuit judges in the Eastern Panhandle have increased to the point where it’s obvious to me that we need at least one more. Meanwhile, I think Jefferson County needs another magistrate. more »»
Thankfully, cement mill saved
December 30, 2011 A story in last week’s Chronicle told of the purchase of the “cement mill” property about a mile southeast of Shepherdstown on River Road by the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission (JCHLC). more »»
Single-member districts: amendment needed
December 16, 2011 When the legislature convenes in January for the 2012 regular session I will introduce a proposed constitutional amendment requiring single-member districts for the House of Delegates in the 2021... more »»
Shale session on tap
December 9, 2011 As of this writing (several days before publication), it looked like Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin was poised to call the legislature into special session to adopt laws governing drilling for natural gas. more »»
Time for civil unions -- at least
December 2, 2011 During the legislature’s next regular session, which begins on Jan. 10, I will sponsor a bill to permit lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples to enter into civil unions. more »»
What's the best county government structure?
November 25, 2011 A few years ago the legislature permitted Berkeley County to change its county government from a three-member “county commission” to a five-member “county council. more »»
More on redistricting suits
November 18, 2011 We talked here last week about three lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the redistricting of the House of Delegates this past August. more »»
Redistricting complete; now the lawsuits
November 11, 2011 Three lawsuits have been filed regarding the recent redistricting of the West Virginia House of Delegates. One lodges a general complaint that the entire plan is unconstitutional. more »»
The chatter about year-round schooling
November 3, 2011 At the legislature’s October Interim Committee Meetings Jorea Marple, West Virginia’s State Superintendent of Schools, suggested to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability... more »» |
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