Podcast - The Legislature Today Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

On The Legislature Today, we bring you an in-depth look at the West Virginia’s Community and Technical College System and a bill that creates a grant program specifically for its students. That bill, Senate Bill 284, passed the West Virginia Senate unanimously and makes CTCs free for in-state students, if multiple requirements are met. It is now up for consideration in the House.

On The Legislature Today, host Andrea Lannom has an in-depth conversation with Chelsea Ruby, Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Tourism. Governor Jim Justice has proposed to nearly triple the tourism budget, bringing the agency’s current $6 million budget to $20 million.

On The Legislature Today, there are several highly-watched bills seeing action this week – the Senate unanimously passed the community and technical college bill, Governor Jim Justice signed a bill eliminating the West Virginia Film Tax Credit, and some public education employees have announced a rally here at the Capitol for Feb. 17. In the Senate Judiciary Committee, discussions over a proposed Intermediate Court of Appeals is the subject of debate. Host Andrea Lannom chats with Senate

On The Legislature Today, we hear two very different perspectives on budget policy. As lawmakers continue holding budget presentations for state agencies and continue to grapple with how and where to spend state dollars, we’ve asked the directors of two West Virginia policy research organizations – with very different philosophies – to join host Andrea Lannom and offer us all something to think about. Garrett Ballengee is the Executive Director of the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy

On The Legislature Today, we bring you another reporter roundtable revisiting the week that was and pondering the week to come. Host Andrea Lannom is joined by her statehouse colleagues Brad McElhinny of West Virginia MetroNews and making his first appearance on The Legislature Today, Ryan Quinn, education reporter for the Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper, the Charleston Gazette-Mail.

On The Legislature Today, we take a closer look at a bill that would allow logging in state parks – Senate Bill 270. It's an issue that's fired up lawmakers and citizens. We’ll hear from a director, a commissioner, a delegate, and a senator. Logging is currently permitted in state forests but not state parks.

On The Legislature Today, host Andrea Lannom is joined by Dr. Rahul Gupta, West Virginia’s Commissioner for the Bureau of Public Health. Gupta chats with Lannom about DHHR’s Opioid Response Plan - an initiative to explore the most effective ways the state can combat the opioid crisis.

On The Legislature Today, host Andrea Lannom sits down with John Deskins, the Director of West Virginia University’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research to talk about the state’s economy, the hits it's taken, the challenges still ahead, and the investments we need to make for desired returns.

On The Legislature Today, education bills are making their way through committees. Host Andrea Lannom asks House Education Chairman Del. Paul Espinosa to outline some of that legislation as well as touch on issues that might come up at the statehouse this year.

On The Legislature Today, House Speaker Tim Armstead has announced he will step down from the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2019, and is considering a run for the state Supreme Court in 2020. We also bring you another reporter roundtable with host Andrea Lannom, Brad McElhinny of MetroNews, and Jake Zuckerman of the Charleston Gazette-Mail to chat about what’s happened at the statehouse this week and what’s to come.