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This and That from Legislative Week One · Commentary - TJ Meadows

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  Speaker 1: The West Virginia Senate and House gaveled in Wednesday, officially
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  Speaker 1: opening the sixty day legislative session, followed by Governor Morrisey's
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  Speaker 1: State of the State address that evening a few rapid
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  Speaker 1: fire observations. First, Senator Laura Wakem Chapman resigned as chair
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  Speaker 1: of Senate Health, saying Senate President Randy Smith demanded loyalty
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  Speaker 1: she wasn't comfortable giving. She later argued that the Eastern
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  Speaker 1: Panhandle holds too much power. Here's the problem. If you
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  Speaker 1: believe your region is underrepresented, resigning a chairmanship only weakens
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  Speaker 1: your regent's voice. Committee chairs serve at the pleasure of
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  Speaker 1: the president. Alignment with leadership isn't radical, It's basic governance.
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  Speaker 1: Senator Brian Helton now chairs the committee. Second, Smith addressed
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  Speaker 1: criticism that he lacks a formal agenda. His response was simple,
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  Speaker 1: He's not flashy. Leadership styles differ, and nobody in Normalville,
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  Speaker 1: West Virginia cares how it's done as long as results follow.
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  Speaker 1: Smith now has sixty days to deliver worth, noting Team
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  Speaker 1: West Virginia. The Jobs Ohio Style economic Initiative was a
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  Speaker 1: brainchild of the Senate. The bill to make it so
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  Speaker 1: will originate there. More impressive was what Smith did not do.
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  Speaker 1: He could have taken shots at Chapman on talk line Wednesday,
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  Speaker 1: he didn't. Instead, he showed Grace praising her work and
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  Speaker 1: wishing her well. That matters. It's the difference between politics
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  Speaker 1: and statesmanship. Third, WVU economist John Deskins delivered a sobering
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  Speaker 1: economic update. Lowest labor force participation in the nation, more
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  Speaker 1: deaths than births, and low per capita income. Still there
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  Speaker 1: are bright spots. Some counties are growing, and data centers
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  Speaker 1: represent real opportunity. Perspective matters too. West Virginia's GDP per
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  Speaker 1: capita still exceeds several G seven nations. Fourth, the state
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  Speaker 1: of the state was polished as expected, but big proposals
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  Speaker 1: need details. A ten percent income tax cut alongside a
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  Speaker 1: projected budget gap raises questions. House Finance Chair Vernon Chris
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  Speaker 1: seems to favor the existing trigger based plant, slow, predictable
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  Speaker 1: and fiscally cautious. Finally, ivermectin is back. Senate Bill forty
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  Speaker 1: two would allow over the counter access. Senator Tom Tacubo,
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  Speaker 1: a pominologist, says doctors tried it during COVID and it
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  Speaker 1: didn't work. My rule is simple. When the doctor speaks,
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  Speaker 1: I listen. But if running this bill saves time for
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  Speaker 1: bigger things, more important things than fine, yes, the session
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  Speaker 1: is indeed underway with real challenges facing the state. The
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  Speaker 1: clock is already ticking. For a more detailed breakdown on
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  Speaker 1: these and other points of interest from this week, read
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  Speaker 1: the full commentary at WV metronews dot com