Wild day under the dome

Wednesday was a fascinating day, perhaps the busiest and most significant of this 60-day session. I’ll leave some things out, but here are some insights and observations from the Capitol.

—The pro-life movement is tantalizingly close to a significant change in the state’s abortion law. Both the Senate and House have now passed overwhelmingly the fetal pain bill that prevents abortions after 20 weeks unless the mother faces a serious medical risk or the fetus is not viable. Governor Tomblin is expected to veto the bill, just as he did last year. However, this year lawmakers have enough time to override the veto.

—Governor Tomblin clearly struggled to know what to do with the deer farming bill. Sportsmen pushed for a veto, fearing that deer will escape from farms and spread chronic wasting disease. They also wanted to keep all deer management issues within the DNR. However, supporters argued that deer farming is a burgeoning business and they wanted the industry regulated by the Ag Department. The deer farmers prevailed. Tomblin signed the bill last night.

—Question: What do you think the “West Virginia Intrastate Commerce Improvement Act” is about? HB 2881 doesn’t have much to do with commerce, but it does prevent cities and counties from passing ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. The House Government Organization Committee spent nearly two agonizing hours Wednesday trying to figure out the bill’s true intent before approving it and sending it to the full House.

—Another day and another parliamentary squabble in the state Senate. It happened when Senator Craig Blair (R-Berkeley) referenced information he received in a text during floor debate, a violation of Senate rules. Senate Democrats quoted Rule 55 to reporters after the session, while Republicans dismissed Blair’s blunder as a mistake, but no big deal. Meanwhile, Democrats continued to tweak Republicans by twice invoking a rule requiring a bill to be read in its entirety.

—Speaking of that, the state Chamber of Commerce’s Eugenie Taylor distributed red ribbons at the Capitol yesterday in what she jokingly called her “Free Lee Cassis” campaign. Cassis is the Senate’s assistant clerk who was charged with reading each bill aloud. Senate President Bill Cole wore one during yesterdays’ floor session.

—The Senate has given final approval to a bill that would loosen smoking ordinances in West Virginia. SB 109 gives county commissions the final say over smoking bans recommended by county boards of health. The bill, which now goes to the House, also provides exemptions for casinos, bars, fraternals and veterans organizations, if they meet certain criteria.

—West Virginia Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association President Sam Burdette continues to push for a buyout of breeders, but he’s having trouble getting the attention of lawmakers. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Hall has said the dog racing subsidies are going to disappear at some point, but they may not have enough time to get to that issue this session

—Senate Judiciary Chairman Charlie Trump talked about putting a right-to-work bill on his agenda yesterday, but decided against it. I don’t think the Republicans are going to try to run the bill, but they keep floating it as a possibility.





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