Capital Eye Vol. 11 No. 7

Last week was Strike Week at the Legislature, with Thursday and Friday being Day 1 and 2 of a statewide walkout by teachers and school service personnel demanding better wages and a permanent fix to PEIA. On Thursday, more than 5,000 people entered the Capitol through two public access points, with equally large crowds gathering on subsequent days of the ongoing strike. Despite the presence of thousands of outraged teachers and state employees and more pressing issues to deal with, the “bad idea factory” keeps churning undeterred. 

Keep reading for the latest, and if you haven’t already, please consider renewing your membership or becoming a sustaining member today. Your donations help keep the lights on at Citizen Action and gives us the power to fight the conservative tide at the Capitol. Thanks for your continued support. 

Yours for Action,

Team WV CAG

PS: We hope you can join us for these upcoming events:

• • March 3 – Rally for Women’s Lives – 3PM at the State Capitol in Charleston- Enough! Hardline politicians are determined to change our state constitution to say there is no right to abortion. Reasonable people say hell no and we are RALLYING. Join us at the WV State Capitol on the 105th anniversary of DC’s Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913, to let West Virginia legislators know that we will not stand for them playing politics with women’s health.
  • March 6 (9:00 am – 3:00 pm) – E-Day at the Capitol – E-day! (Environmental Day) at the Capitol is a WV Environmental Council tradition. This is our day to educate, and lobby our legislators for a cleaner WV environment. At 4:30 p.m. come unwind at a celebratory GREEN JAM complete with a delicious buffet, live music and good friends at the Empty Glass right around the corner.

Strike Week at the Legislature
In this article: Hunger Games Continue; Teachers Strike On; Governor Justice MIA; Corporate Welfare Lives; Religious Nanny State; Medical Cannabis Update; Crossover Day; Greens Keep Us Going
Tagged: Budget priorities, Kids and families, Our children our future, Poverty, SNAP, Workers

Where Are They Now?
Here's a quick update on on several bills we wrote about last week, including redistricting reform, co-tenancy, and LEEP.
Tagged: Civil Justice, Clean elections, Energy, Energy efficiency, Fracking

Tell Your Delegate: A Tiny Minority Doesn’t Get to Decide My Rights
West Virginia made headlines in 2016 for passing more LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances than any other state. But a bill making its way through the state Legislature is designed to stop our march toward fairness and equality in its tracks. HB 4158 empowers the fringe to upend protections for real people. Please take action today! This bill is moving fast.
Tagged: Discrimination, Inequality

SB 600: Handouts to Industry at the Expense of the Rest of Us
SB 600 offers discounted electric rates to industrial users and manufacturers whose rates, like everyone’s, have continued to skyrocket in the past few years. However, someone is going to have to make up the cost of these discounts and, it’s not going to be the utility shareholders. The bill is on the fast track, having cleared two Senate committees in two days, and is now on the Senate floor where it will be up for a final vote on Tuesday. Call or email your Senators now and ask them to oppose SB 600. Tell them not to give manufacturers a discount on their electric bills at the expense of the rest of us. 
Tagged: Energy

We Need Real Solutions to the Healthcare Crisis
Healthcare is shaping up to be a major issue in the 2018 elections. More and more West Virginians are struggling to afford healthcare, and Congress is taking us in the wrong direction with threatened cuts to crucial programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Join us at one of two upcoming healthcare forums to learn more about how our healthcare system got so complicated, why it's under attack and what we can do in 2018 to push for real solutions to the healthcare crisis.
Tagged: Healthcare, Medicare