One of the preeminent tenets of conservatism is that the most effective government is that which is closest to the people. For generations, Republicans who believe in conservative ideals have tried to follow that North Star when deciding how best to govern.
Republicans in the West Virginia Legislature echoed that belief. They argued repeatedly in favor of decentralizing government from Charleston’s hold, preferring instead to empower communities with more local control.
But that is changing, and the evidence is found in this year’s legislative session. Consider these bills being pushed by the Republican majority in the House of Delegates:
—HB 4012 would prevent any state government entity, hospital or college from requiring proof of vaccination as a condition of entering a building.
I am not aware that any such prohibition exists, which makes this proposal a solution looking for a problem. But additionally, why should the state dictate to a hospital how it attempts to manage access during a pandemic? Does Charleston know better than a local hospital’s administrators how to ensure safety at their facility?
—HB 4011, the Anti-Stereotyping Act, requires greater transparency by public schools of their training materials for teachers and instructional materials for students that pertain to matters of “non-discrimination, diversity, equity, inclusion, race, ethnicity, sex or bias.”
The bill also states that schools may not teach that a particular race, sex, ethnicity, religion or national origin is superior or inferior to another and none of those groups can be blamed for “actions committed in the past.”
The bill is aimed at keeping Critical Race Theory out of the public schools, but it could also have a chilling effect on instructors when they are teaching about controversial issues in the country’s history.
–HB 4071 prevents local school systems from requiring masks for students, teachers or staff because of Covid. It also limits Covid testing and quarantines. So if this bill becomes law, local school boards would not be able to take what it believes to be necessary safety steps during the pandemic, even if parents wanted them to.
Republican lawmakers may be responding to what they have heard from constituents who have been vocal about Covid restrictions and inspired by what they have seen in other parts of the country.
However, these kinds of bills run counter to the concept of local control. County school boards are occupied by people who live in those communities, hear from parents of students and are in the best position to make these kinds of decisions.
When citizens do not like local school board decisions, they can make a change at the next election. They do not have to go to Charleston to make a long shot effort to change the law.
Republicans have supermajorities in the House and the Senate, meaning they have the votes to do whatever they want to do. But just because they can pass something does not mean they should, especially when the legislation runs counter to a long-standing Republican principle.