Delegate Moore Capito has been named the new Judiciary Committee chairman for the House of Delegates.
Capito, R-Kanawha, has served in the House since 2016 and was the vice chairman last year with Chairman John Shott, who retired. Capito is the son of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito.
Most non-financial legislation comes through Judiciary, so it is considered a key committee.
Delegate Tom Fast, R-Fayette, will serve as the committee’s vice-chairman.
“As a former vice-chairman, Moore played a vital role in our work to ensure West Virginia has a fair legal climate that attracts job creators,” stated House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay.
“He also helped spearhead efforts to reduce legal barriers in our criminal justice system so that rehabilitated individuals experience an easier transition back to being productive members of our society. I know he and Tom will continue to pursue aggressive reforms to ensure our state has the best legal environment possible.”
Some other House leadership positions were announced today too.
Delegate Jeffrey Pack, R-Raleigh, who had previously served as vice-chairman of the Health and Human Resources Committee, will now serve as that committee’s chairman after the departure of Jordan Hill.
Delegate Matt Rohrbach, R-Cabell, will serve as the committee’s vice-chairman.
“Delegate Pack has devoted himself wholeheartedly to efforts to reform the state’s foster care system, and I know he still has a tremendous passion to pursue additional improvements in that area,” Hanshaw stated.
“Additionally, Dr. Rohrbach has spearheaded initiatives to address our state’s substance abuse crisis. This committee will also be at the forefront of analyzing our pandemic response efforts, and I know they’re ready to get to work to pass additional reforms to help some of our most vulnerable citizens.”
Delegate Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh, has been named the new chairman of the Government Organization committee. Delegate Geoff Foster, R-Putnam, will serve as the committee’s vice-chairman.
The committee deals with the structure of government.
“Brandon and Geoff both have a deep passion to ensure our state government is serving its citizens in the best, most-efficient way possible,” Speaker Hanshaw said. “I know they will be strong voices to provide bold leadership on this committee.”
The Government Organization position opened when Delegate Gary Howell, R-Mineral, was named the new speaker pro-tem. That role was formerly held by Delegate Daryl Cowles, who lost a Primary Election Race. It’s considered a leadership position and comes with the duty of leading floor sessions when the speaker steps away.
Delegate Dianna Graves, R-Kanawha, has been appointed Majority Caucus Chairwoman during the coming session. In that role, she will help organize and lead caucus meetings and policy discussions among Republican members.
“During her time in office, Dianna has shown a prodigious ability to facilitate discussions, broker compromise, diffuse differences and forge common ground between people who come at an issue from different perspectives,” Hanshaw stated.
“With our large and diverse supermajority caucus this year, I believe she will be a tremendous asset for us all.”
Leadership of the Education, Energy and Finance committees will remain the same during the coming session.
Delegate Joe Ellington, R-Mercer, will be chairman of the Education Committee, with Delegate Joshua Higginbotham, R-Putnam, serving as vice-chairman.
Delegate Bill Anderson, R-Wood, will continue as chairman of the Energy Committee, with Delegate John Kelly, R-Wood, serving as vice-chairman.
Delegate Eric Householder, R-Berkeley, will continue as chairman of the Finance Committee, with Delegate Vernon Criss, R-Wood, serving as vice-chairman.
House Majority Leader Amy Summers, R-Taylor; Majority Whip Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson; and Assistant Majority Leader Kayla Kessinger, R-Fayette, will continue in their roles for the upcoming session.
Democrats voted last week for Delegate Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha, to lead their caucus. That means Skaff will be the minority leader.
In the state Senate, Democrats announced that Senator Mike Woelfel, will be the minority whip. He joins Senator Stephen Baldwin, D-Greenbrier, who was named to lead the minority caucus last week.
The whip role means assessing caucus support for policy positions — and sometimes twisting arms.
Woelfel was elected to the Senate in 2014. He represents the Fifth District, which contains all of Cabell and a portion of Wayne County. Woelfel is an attorney at Woelfel & Woelfel, practicing law with his son.
“I am excited about this path forward for our caucus,” Woelfel stated. “We have a lot of work in front of us, but with Leader Baldwin at the helm, I think we can work effectively with the majority on important issues for our constituents. I am pleased to be part of caucus leadership.”
Republicans last week chose Senator Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, to be their leader. That means Blair will be the Senate President when the legislative session begins Feb. 10, replacing Mitch Carmichael, who lost a Primary Election race.
In West Virginia, the Senate President also serves as the lieutenant governor and would serve as governor if the current officeholder cannot continue.
Blair has announced few changes to the leadership team, except that he named Senator Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, to take over for him as Finance chairman.