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

Additional funding for the state's highway system is in doubt after removed from a House Committees agenda. Delegates also inch closer to a vote the could set up a drug testing process for West Virginians who apply for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits.

At a public hearing in the House of Delegates, speakers unanimously favored a bill to allow alcohol sales on Sunday mornings, but the hearing might not fully represent the feelings of West Virginians according to a recent poll. The chamber's Finance Committee will spend its third day discussing a bill that increases Division of Motor Vehicle Fees and some taxes to fund roads. The bill has already been approved in the Senate.

A Kanwaha County Circuit Judge has ruled that West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin should not be given state dollars to fund his re-election campaign. The lawsuit was brought against Benjamin by Beth Walker, one of four challengers in the race. Benjamin was attempting to participate in the state’s public campaign financing program, a program that is only available to candidates running for Supreme Court seats, but this is the first time a candidate’s participation has been

After members of the House Finance Committee voted to kill a bill that would have increased the state's taxes on tobacco products, including a $1 increase per pack of cigarettes, Commissioner of the Bureau for Public Health and West Virginia Chief Health Officer Dr. Rahul Gupta reacts to the legislative decision.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael and House Majority Leader Daryl Cowles discuss the future of a bill approved in the Senate Wednesday that raises taxes and fees to fund infrastructure. The two also focus in on the difficulties lawmakers face in balancing the 2017 budget.

Fiscal issues top the concerns of members of the minority party leading up to the end of this legislative session. Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler and House Minority Leader Tim Miley discuss the most pressing issues facing lawmakers with just 11 days left to consider legislation.

The GOP majority in both chambers have received plenty of criticism and support this legislative session for taking on controversial issues like Right-to-Work and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. West Virginians on either side of the issue have made their stances known through social media campaigns and rallies at the statehouse, and many opposed are turning those feelings into political fuel for the upcoming primary and general elections. Curtis Wilkerson with Orion Strategies discusses a

The West Virginia Religious Freedom Restoration Act was approved in the House more than two weeks ago and, in that time, Senate leaders have said little about the bill. The chamber's Judiciary Committee took up the legislation Friday evening, but some Senators say they’re waiting to see a final bill before throwing their support behind it.

Del. Mick Bates of Raleigh County discussed his party's proposals in the House to increase road funding. Those proposals have failed so far this session, but now Bates and other members of the House are waiting to see what Senators will do with a bi-partisan bill that would increase some fees in order to generate revenue.

Senators cast their final votes on a bill to remove the permitting and safety training requirements to carry a concealed weapon in West Virginia. Members of the body also discuss a possible tobacco tax increase. In the House, Delegates vote to allow West Virginia University Institute of Technology to transfer its headquarters out of Fayette County.