At the center of the West Virginia state capitol is an area known as “The Well.” It is the informal gathering place for lobbyists, reporters, constituents and lawmakers. Centrally located between the chambers of the House of Delegates and Senate, The Well is often where information is shared, alliances are formed and deals are made.
By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. After the 2020 general election, many state legislatures have made election integrity a priority. Many states have enacted legislation that affects everything from voter registration timelines and absentee ballots to election crimes, ballot harvesting, and drop boxes. The West Virginia Legislature’s efforts during the second session of the 85th Legislature …Read More
By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. Unlike recent legislative sessions, the 2nd session of the 85th West Virginia Legislature was not particularly interested in enacting legislation affecting nonintoxicating beer, wine, and liquor licenses. The Legislature appeared to be content to tweak legislation enacted in recent years. Only three bills received any consideration — Senate Bill 659, …Read More
By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. Four bills related to behavioral health were passed during the second session of the 85th West Virginia Legislature. Most significantly, House Bill 4369 updated the telepsychology compact. It added two additional criteria for a psychologist who holds a graduate degree in psychology, which is necessary for him or her to …Read More
By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. After eight years of efforts to enact legislation addressing unitization or forced pooling of natural gas, the Legislature finally succeeded. Sponsored by Senators Tarr and Nelson, Senate Bill 694 sets out the property rights of surface owners when it comes to the drilling for natural gas by the use of …Read More
By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. Although more than 20 bills would have affected seniors in one way or another, only Senate Bill 570 (establishing training for law enforcement in handling individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementias) reached the Governor’s desk. The bill authorizes that an Alzheimer’s and dementia law-enforcement training course and guidelines be developed in …Read More
By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. As with previous years with a Republican majority in both chambers, few bills could in any way be considered pro-labor. Unlike many previous years, however, there was no significant effort to negatively impact employee rights. Legislation affecting the employer-employee relationship includes Senate Bill 245, which amends the current provisions of …Read More
By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. In terms of legislation affecting public safety, the West Virginia Legislature during its 2022 Regular Session made relatively few changes to the state’s criminal code, leaving a bill purporting to rewrite the criminal code (House Bill 2017) on the sidelines. The following is a summary of legislation passed this regular …Read More
By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. During its Second Session, the 85th West Virginia Legislature passed several bills related to health care. As always, because it is an election year, abortion was on the agenda. The Legislature passed a bill to prohibit abortion of a viable fetus because of the presence or presumption of a disability, …Read More
By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. In December 2020, Congress included about $45 billion for broadband development grants as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684). While the federal government’s efforts to fund the expansion of access to high-speed Internet is substantial, it is equally necessary for states to employ their own tools …Read More
By Brian Skinner, Esq. Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of vaccines critical to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. After determining the vaccines met applicable statutory standards and the agency’s specific safety and efficacy standards, the FDA issued Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for the vaccines under Section …Read More