From The Well

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.

From The Well

Marion Co., West Virginia, Commission proclaims October Domestic Abuse Awareness Month

Brian Skinner Domestic Violence

The Fairmont News — By John Mark Shaver — October 8, 2020 FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WV News) — The Marion County Commission officially proclaimed October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month during its Wednesday meeting, hoping to spread awareness for action that those in abusive relationships can take. The proclamation is made by the commission every October, …Read More

US Supreme Court declines to weigh in on cannabis overtime pay case

Brian Skinner Marijuana policy, U.S. Supreme court

Marijuana Business Daily — October 6, 2020 How federal labor laws affect state-legal marijuana businesses could remain murky after the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear an overtime pay case in the cannabis sector. A petition by Helix TCS, a Colorado cannabis security firm, for the Supreme Court to review the case was denied, Law360.com reported. Employee Robert Kenney …Read More

West Virginia Supreme Court hears arguments in horizontal drilling taxation case involving Antero

Brian Skinner Courts, Gas and Oil, Tax Policy

WV News — By Matt Harvey — October 6, 2020 CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WV News) — West Virginia’s Supreme Court justices heard arguments Tuesday on whether oil and gas companies owe tax on items like sleeping quarters, rented portable toilets and industrial-size trash containers at horizontal drilling sites. At issue is a consumer sales tax assessment …Read More

Director hire made for West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy

Brian Skinner State Fiscal & Economic Policy

WV MetroNews – – By Shauna Johnson — October 6, 2020 CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A divergence in economic recovery during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is what the new executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy said analysts with her organization have been tracking in recent weeks. “Higher income folks have almost completely recovered jobs in West …Read More

The Federal Government Releases Tips For Secure Teleworking

Brian Skinner COVID-19, Information Technology, Workforce

  Route Fifty — By Aaron Boyd, Senior Editor, Nextgov — October 5, 2020 The mass teleworking required by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is creating new cybersecurity vulnerabilities and exacerbating old ones. In response, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a quick guide to help organizations address these issues at every level. The guide is broken into …Read More

Contact Tracing in the Workplace

Brian Skinner Contact tracing, COVID-19

  By Brian Skinner, Esq. We are all now acutely aware that COVID-19 is a highly contagious and potentially fatal virus that disproportionately impacts persons, and particularly older adults, with preexisting conditions and weakened immune systems. As businesses begin to reopen, both employers and their employees have concerns about the potential risks involved in returning …Read More

WV DHHR Announces Medical Cannabis Grower Permit Approvals

Brian Skinner Medical Cannabis

October 2, 2020 The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health, Office of Medical Cannabis (OMC) today announced the successful applicants for medical cannabis grower permits.   These permit holders will cultivate medical cannabis plants before sending them for processing into allowable forms for patient use.  The allowable forms for …Read More