The 2021 legislative session is now history, albeit a rather dark page as far as sessions go. We had some wins which, as Julie noted, can be counted on one hand. As with any session, killing off terrible bills took up a major chunk of everyone’s effort and there were successes on that front also.
West Virginia voters turned out in force to oppose a bill that would eliminate the most popular Early Voting days, gut the efficiency of automatic voter registration and start the process of removing voters from rolls after two years (instead of four) if someone hasn’t voted.
West Virginia Voters Speak Out Against Voting Restrictions Read More »
WV organizations announced the formation of the “WV New Jobs Coalition” and their Ten Days of Action, April 1st through the 10th, culminating in a 3-city “Jammin’ For Jobs” live and live-streamed concert event on April 10th in Charleston, Morgantown, and Martinsburg at 1PM.
Jammin’ For Jobs – Free Concert – April 10th at 1PM Read More »
Finally, Sean’s analysis of the Senate tax bill is live. Please share!
Senate Tax Bill One-Pager Read More »
Remember finals week in school? Well this week at the Capitol is nothing like that. Bills packing hundreds of pages that very few legislators have read or studied will be given passing or failing grades based not so much on their merit as on perception and faith.
With 43 states, including West Virginia, trying to make it harder to vote, we need to fight voter suppression efforts and ensure the The For the People Act stays robust in order to protect every American’s freedom and right to vote. We also need to oppose SB 565 which would restrict West Virginians’ access to voting. We can’t let the assault on voting rights in West Virginia and around the country go unanswered. Please take action today.
Take Action to Fight Voter Suppression Read More »
After quickly passing their house of origin and then clearing their first committee assignment in the other, two measures we oppose related to West Virginia courts slowed down. Now one has cleared another legislative hurdle, and the other is likely to be on the move again soon as we enter the final two weeks of the legislative session. Here’s a quick update and actions you can take to stop these power grabs and attempts to politicize the judiciary.
Courts and the Constitution Read More »
Conservatives are constantly harping about their desire for small local governance – except when they don’t. Too many examples this session to list them all but one of the whoppers is a proposed amendment to the WV constitution to give the Legislature more control over county property taxes with the intent to slash taxes paid by big, out of state corporations. The House is also debating an alternative to the Governor’s income tax phase our that would devastate the state budget. More here on these and other updates from the ‘Bad Idea Factory.’
What A Taxing Week! Read More »
Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a policy roundtable hosted by the Charleston-Institute Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority to discuss issues before the WV Legislature and their connection to and impact on the Black community. Here’s a recap of what was discussed and actions you can take.
Building Civic Action: A Policy Roundtable to Move Community to Action Read More »
Call Senators Manchin and Capito today. Tell them to do their job, defend our democracy, and protect and strengthen the sacred right to vote by supporting the For the People Act.
Voting Rights Are Under Attack, But We Can Fight Back Read More »