By Gary Zuckett, WV CAG Co-Director
As of Tuesday, legislators have proposed more than 1,500 bills to enact new laws in our state. There is something in these bills that will offend everyone. Don’t get me wrong— many will help move our state toward a better government. However, most should be tossed into the recycle bin and made into toilet paper. Our weekly updates can only cover a fraction of these — some of the best, but mostly the worst, of those moving through committees and across the State Capitol to the other chamber that pose a real threat.
Please take some time to contact your lawmakers to let them know your opinions. They work for us, we pay their salaries, and we should have a say in their decisions and actions! Find your legislators here.
Thank you for taking a minute to renew your membership or send in a little extra ‘green energy’ to help keep us going throughout the session. Foundation grants don’t fund our lobbying activities; our members do!
Vaccinations vs. Gender-Affirming Care
The new Senate President predicted the priorities of this legislature when he said that his caucus was interested in passing ‘social’ legislation. However, there is an uneven hand at work in this regard. In his State of the State speech, the Governor called for childhood vaccines to become optional for kids entering our public schools. He’s for giving parents a choice not to have their kids immunized if they sign a piece of paper saying they have a ‘religious’ or ‘philosophical’ concern.
Science tells us these childhood diseases that, if contracted, can sometimes lead to severe illness or death and that ‘herd immunity’ is necessary to help protect our seniors and those with compromised immune systems. In SB 460, which passed out of the Senate last Friday and had a hearing before the House Health Committee on Monday, this parental choice is being lifted as an ultimate good — even though it goes against the common good. (“Getting standard vaccines in childhood not only improves an individual child’s chances for a healthy and good development but also protects the other children and the adults in their environment,” writes WV CAG member Joe Golden, a retired physician.)
On the other hand, the state summarily bars parents from helping their child get gender-affirming care under SB 299, even if a doctor prescribes this treatment because their child is at high risk for suicide. This is the ultimate double standard!
Deeply held personal morals and religious beliefs shape these conflicting policy standards. However, their results get us into the weeds quickly. It is best to let morals and religious beliefs thrive in our churches, synagogues, and mosques where they belong and keep them out of our lawbooks!
Sadly, SB 299 isn’t the only attack on LGBTQ+ youth gaining momentum at the State Capitol. Our friends at Fairness West Virginia have more details here, along with ways you can take action to help defeat these bills. Our kids need you!
Higher Taxes for Windmills?
Speaking of double standards, lawmakers allow coal-fired power plants to have their multimillion-dollar pollution control equipment taxed locally as scrap metal for property tax purposes. However, they want to deny the same tax treatment for commercial windmills that generate pollution-free power! SB 439 does just that. Read about it in this Dominion Post article.
PEIA on the Chopping Block
Healthcare costs are continually rising faster than inflation. Let’s just call it what it is – greedflation! Big insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and a for-profit healthcare system continue to dive deeper into our pockets. This also affects our state-run health insurance, which covers state workers, teachers and support staff. The Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) is one of the ‘perks’ that the state points to, saying, ‘Yeah, we know your salaries are lower than what you can make in the private sector, but hey, you’ve got good healthcare and retirement!’ Well. that could change if HB 2623 or SB 426 passes. This would dump PEIA into the private healthcare market with all its problems. Then, the legislature can wash its hands of the continual task of finding revenue to keep state employees’ healthcare funded and blame it on the greedy insurance companies when premiums skyrocket. This ‘fix’ is worse than ‘kicking the can down the road’ as they’ve been doing. It’s running over the can with a school bus!
The Fight Isn’t Just In Charleston
The biggest fight in the first 100 days of the new Trump administration is the tax and budget battle that threatens our communities. While healthcare, housing, and food costs soar, Trump and Republicans are pushing massive tax cuts for billionaires and corporations—while proposing severe cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, housing programs, and climate action.
WV CAG is joining other People’s Action affiliates nationwide to fight back! Mindy Holcomb, WV CAG Healthcare Organizer, and I are in Washington, D.C., to demand policies that put people over profits. Join us as we push to protect vital services and stop the harmful tax breaks for the rich.
Here’s what you can do:
- Call your representatives
- Join a phone bank where we’ll talk to our neighbors about how these tax breaks for the wealthy hurt our communities. No experience? No problem! People’s Action will provide training at every phone bank to set you up for success.
- Support our work
Together, we can make our voices heard and fight for a future that works for everyone.