State of Affairs

In conjunction with previously scheduled interim committee meetings, the West Virginia Legislature met briefly this week to reconsider bills that had been vetoed by Governor Jim Justice during the regular legislative session. In all, state lawmakers passed 18 pieces of legislation, including several supplemental appropriations shifting spending for the existing budget year.  Highlights of the one-day special session include the following:

• HB 119, SB 1016 & SB 1019 – Supplemental Appropriations to the Department of Transportation and Division of Highways: With the passage ...

While there’s been much discussion of medical cannabis in West Virginia over the last several years, far less attention has been given to the industry that is slowly and steadily building around marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin – hemp.

Derived from the cannabis family of plants, hemp is distinguishable in large part because of its very low levels of THC – the chemical that produces the psychological effects of marijuana.  The lack of intoxicating properties associated with hemp has made development of the product more palatable to policymakers, and the regulatory ...

The 2019 Interim Committee dates have been formally announced, and legislators will return to Charleston in April (29-30), May (20-21), June (17-18), July (22-23), September (23-24), November (18-19) and December (16-17). 

This year, legislative leadership has chosen to move away from the somewhat traditional format of Sunday through Tuesday meetings in favor of a more focused schedule, similar to interim meetings implemented during Senate President Bill Cole’s tenure. 

As usual, the April Interim Meetings will be more condensed than the other monthly meetings, as the Joint ...

Just when it looked like the state was prepared to move forward with the previously stalled West Virginia Medical Cannabis Act (the “Act”), another roadblock has again seemingly delayed implementation of the state’s previously enacted medical cannabis program.   

With the passage of SB 386 during the 2017 Legislative Session, state lawmakers established an initial two-year framework for implementing West Virginia’s medical cannabis program.  Now, a little less than three months from the July 1, 2019 launch date, the program hardly seems any closer to operation.   

While ...

This past Wednesday, March 27, marked the constitutional deadline for West Virginia Governor Jim Justice to sign or veto any remaining legislation that had not been acted on since the Legislature adjourned Sine Die on March 9, 2019. 

Pursuant to Article 7, Section 14 of the West Virginia Constitution:

Any bill which shall not be returned by the governor within five days, Sundays excepted, after it shall have been presented to him shall be a law, in the same manner as if he had signed it, unless the Legislature shall, by adjournment sine die, prevent its return, in which case it shall be filed ...

While much of the state’s infrastructure discussion this year has focused on the conditions of West Virginia’s secondary roads, policymakers quietly continue to make significant strides in another critical area of state infrastructure – broadband enhancement and development.

For years, West Virginia has lagged behind the rest of the nation with respect to the development of high-speed internet and other wireless technologies.  The lack of sufficient broadband infrastructure is often cited as a deterrent to jobs, with many parts of the state being underserved or even ...