The Senate has reconvened the 1st Extraordinary Session of 2019. Watch Live: https://t.co/Vl4RJoBEoC
— WV Senate (@wvsenate) June 1, 2019
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Senate was convening for special session on the first Saturday in June to consider an omnibus education bill.
The Senate majority hoped to consider the bill in one day, but doing so would require a supermajority vote to suspend the rule saying legislation must be considered on three separate days.
A motion to do that was defeated shortly after today’s session began.
Teachers gathered by the hundreds, chanting and carrying signs.
12:14 p.m. The Senate has adjourned until 12:15 p.m. Sunday, where the omnibus education bill will be considered again.
Here are remarks from Senate President Mitch Carmichael, following today’s floor session.
Senator Carmichael on #NewBigEducationBill https://t.co/iNk8hB0Sgb
— Brad McElhinny (@BradMcElhinny) June 1, 2019
10:46 a.m. Speeches have been happening.
Democrats have been standing up to ask for the policies in the omnibus bill to be considered on their own.
Republicans have said the bill is meant to all work together and that it’s been significantly altered from what was considered during the legislative session.
Senator Mike Romano, D-Harrison: “Here we go again.” “I would urge you to break that bill up. Let’s have an up or down vote on each of the issues important to education.”
Senator Paul Hardesty, D-Logan: “I wish we could just tear this bill apart.” He says he probably supports 80 percent of it. “But this was the same script that was forced down our throats earlier this year.”
Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha: “This is quite a different bill.”
Takubo refers to the forums across the state and to ideas generated by Democrats. “This is a very different bill.”
Senator Greg Boso, R-Nicholas, adds: “Each part of this bill has to be looked at comprehensively.”
10:39 a.m. Senator John Unger, D-Berkeley, asks about bills in Senate Education Committee and wonders if the committee will be meeting today.
“Why are we not being more democratic? Why are we not looking at these other bills? We have the rest of the day to be working on these very good bills.”
Senate President Carmichael says there will be no Education Committee meeting today and says many of the individual bills are reflected in the omnibus.
10:32 a.m. Also not moving forward today was a separate bill to establish education savings accounts.
A motion to take up SB140 for immediate consideration failed on an 18-15 vote. The bill will be on first reading tomorrow,
— WV Senate (@wvsenate) June 1, 2019
10:24 a.m. This will not happen in just one day.
Majority Leader Tom Takubo made a motion to suspend constitutional rules requiring a bill to be read on three separate days.
The vote was against doing so.
The vote was 18 yes, 15 no with one absence (Plymale). Republicans Kenny Mann and Bill Hamilton were among the no votes.
Succeeding with the motion would have required four fifths of the 33 senators present.
10:19 a.m. Underway in the Senate.
Someone in the gallery yells “Ditch Mitch” in reference to Senate President Mitch Carmichael and then walks out before she can be escorted out.
Then, Senate Minority Leader Prezioso asks for a vote on pulling several bills out of Education Committee to be considered on the floor.
Prezioso’s motion is defeated.
10:04 a.m. There were some changes to the bill on Friday, the result of negotiations between the Senate Republicans and Democrats.
One of the most significant was the removal of strike/work stoppage language.
Also, there have been concerns about higher education institutions establishing charter schools. This continues to allow that, but makes it clear that a higher education institution can’t apply to establish a charter school and also authorize the same charter.
These changes do not limit the number of charters possible.
That last point caused some disappointed for Senator Mike Woelfel, quoted in a Charleston Gazette-Mail story.
“My hopes and optimism were probably misplaced, although that remains to be seen,” said Woelfel, D-Cabell.
STUDENT SUCCESS ACT CHANGES (05 31 19) (Text)
9:53 a.m. As senators gathered to convene, teachers by the hundreds flowed into the Capitol.
In the Senate https://t.co/QKvlaMeT5J
— Brad McElhinny (@BradMcElhinny) June 1, 2019
At the WV Capitol for #NewBigEducationBill https://t.co/RqKGzqFIsr
— Brad McElhinny (@BradMcElhinny) June 1, 2019
Teachers at #WVgov Capitol for #NewBigEducationBill https://t.co/q9q7FbD88R
— Brad McElhinny (@BradMcElhinny) June 1, 2019
— Brad McElhinny (@BradMcElhinny) June 1, 2019