One Week to Go

Protest the Anti-Protest Bill

Anti-protest bill HB 4615 (so-called protecting critical infrastructure) is now in Senate Judiciary. Calls to Chair Charles Trump are needed to ask him to ignore it and let it expire. Back-up messages to Judiciary members to vote no are also encouraged, if it does make the committee agenda. This is the bill that adds felonies and high fines tor those charged with civil disobedience (or even conspiracy to do so) at so-called “critical infrastructure” sites!

 

Unneeded Courts Will Cut Social Programs

The intermediate court bill will likely make it out of Judiciary today, so calls and e-mails to House Finance to stop it are needed. Critical social programs are being cut in the budget to fund this boondoggle.  Here is the link for e-mail. Here is list of House Finance members and their contact info.

 

Solar Power Amendment Needed

Right now on the House floor the utilities are holding their own bill (SB 583 – Big Utility Solar) hostage rather than allow third-party financing for solar energy in the form of power purchase agreements (PPAs) that would benefit our state’s residents, communities, and small businesses. Including the PPA friendly amendments would not require the utilities to do anything they are not already required to do under current state law. It would just extend to all West Virginians the same freedom to choose solar energy that the utilities are willing to give to large corporations.

Legislative leaders need to hear from YOU, the people of West Virginia, TODAY. Let them know that you support energy freedom for all West Virginians. Call House Speaker Roger Hanshaw at 304-340-3210 and Senate President Mitch Carmichael at 304-357-7801 and tell them to make SB 583 fair for everyone, not just utilities and large corporations, by including the PPA amendments.

 

Insulin Bill in Trouble

Citizen’s from four counties were with us at the Capitol Thursday and Friday to get the insulin co-pay bill moving again. Its stuck in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee and Chairman Azinger says he’s going to kill it by not putting it on his agenda. This is after the bill was worked on and improved by three House committees and passed over to the Senate on a 94 to 4 vote! Calls to Senate President Mitch Carmichael (Azinger’s boss) at (304) 357-7801 and/or emails to mitch.carmichael@wvsenate.gov are needed with the message to get the B&I Committee to pass the bill! Add a good word for PPA’s too!

 

Morrisey’s Do Nothing Pre Ex Bill

After signing West Virginia onto the federal lawsuit to declare the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, our Attorney General has decided (now that he’s running for re-election) to propose a little window dressing as a “see ya!” Senate leadership jumped onto this scam and presto, SB 284 was sailed out of the Senate with great fanfare as a “fix” to protect folks with pre-existing conditions. It’s now on the House Health Committee agenda for 2 pm Saturday and needs to die. Call them and tell them to wait until next year and pass a bill that will actually do something. We don’t want Morrisey and his Republican cohorts who’ve been trying to take away our healthcare since 2016 to be able to snow voters with a do-nothing bill they claim protects those with pre-existing medical problems from being taken to the cleaners or denied health insurance outright by the insurance industry. Perception is NOT reality!