Capital Eye Vol. 17 No. 5

        Last week we passed the halfway mark. Tuesday, Feb. 13th, and Monday, Feb. 19th, were/are the last days to introduce bills in the House and Senate respectively. That being said, committees can still ‘originate’ or introduce bills in their meetings anytime they want. The only limit to this is the dreaded ‘crossover day’ on Feb 28th, which is the last day for bills to be passed out of their house of origin over to the other side. Any bill that  doesn’t ‘cross over’ is then considered ‘dead’. This is in quotes because, again, there are ways to game the system by having committees ‘amend’ entire ‘dead’ bills into ‘live’ ones that have crossed over!

       The last word on all these arcane gyrations is that nothing is really ‘dead’ until the gavel hits the House and Senate gavel out and adjourn at midnight on March 9th signaling the end of the 2024 session — which, we suppose, is the origin of that old legislative adage to watch out for the ‘fat possums that run at midnight’!

Over The Hump & Celebrating E-Day
On Tuesday, we celebrated Environment Day. Our former Director, Norm Steenstra, who was instrumental in the founding of the WV Environmental Council, was one of the main organizers of the very first E-Day. Norm’s family has generously suggested that folks who want to honor his life and legacy do so with a donation to WV Citizen Action.
Tagged: Environment

Health Care for All – Week 6
Chances are many people you know and love get their medical coverage through Medicaid. Over 500,000 West Virginians do! Tell lawmakers to fund Medicaid fully, and not sacrifice the health of our children and families to balance the budget.
Tagged: Families, Healthcare

Keep Children in School — Oppose SB 614
SB 614 would result in an increased number of students being removed, suspended, and/or expelled from elementary schools!
Tagged: Civil Rights, Families

Multiple Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills Are Gaining Momentum In The Legislature
West Virginia could really use your support to fight back against these closed-minded proposals.
Tagged: Civil Rights, Democracy

Take Action to Protect Citizen Air Monitoring
Citizen air monitoring plays a crucial role in engaging citizens and supplementing data gathered by government agencies.
Tagged: Environment

West Virginians Deserve To Be Paid Fairly For The Energy They Produce
Call your Delegate and tell them to support House Bill 5422 for full retail credit net metering. Customizable script included here!
Tagged: Economy, Energy, Families, Workers

Support Child Care – Tell Delegates to Vote YES on HB 4797
Families can’t work without child care. Child care providers can’t continue to operate in the red financially. Something's gotta give!
Tagged: Families

Urgent: Oppose HB 4299 – Arming Teachers and Administrators
Any teacher, administrator or support staff member could apply to be an SPO, provided they have a valid concealed carry permit and have completed a new training program designed by the WV Department of Homeland Security. The not-yet developed training has NO minimum # of hours... but is capped at a MAX of 24 hours of training to put a gun in a teachers hand?!
Tagged: Democracy, Families