CHARLESTON — The 2019 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature got underway Wednesday afternoon.
Mitch CarmichaelThe first order of business for both the state Senate and House of Delegates was to elect leaders. The state Senate reelected Jackson County Senator Mitch Carmichael as Senate President and the House of Delegates elected Clay County Delegate Roger Hanshaw as speaker.
Both gave acceptance speeches to their respective colleagues after being elected and sworn-in.
Carmichael focused much of his talk to education reform and stated his support for changes in public education.
Roger Hanshaw“Our education system needs to be reformed,” Carmichael said. “We must, it is imperative it is a moral imperative to provide a world-class education to our citizens and to our students.
“Let’s do what we have to do. Let’s fix this system. Let’s invest in it as we have already done. Let’s make another round of enormous investments in our public educators and our public employees.”
Carmichael also predicted bipartisanship to be strong in this 84th regular session and says the Senate must approach this issues with that same feeling.
“We can work together to move our state in the right direction,” he said. “I feel it in this room, I feel that opportunity to work together and to move this state in the right direction.
“It is a great opportunity to put aside the partisanship as we begin this year, this new 84th Legislature and work together to move this state in the direction that we need.”
In the House of Delegates, Hanshaw made sure that delegates remembered why they are there.
“Each and every one of chose to seek a seat in this legislature because we were motivated to make West Virginia the best place we could make it to live, work and raise a family,” he said.
“Those issues transcend any disagreements we may have as party, as geography, as ideology because all of us have chosen West Virginia.”
Like Carmichael, Hanshaw stressed the importance of bipartisanship.
“We will work together,” he said. “We will do it together because it is our object, it is our mandate from our friends, our families, and our neighbors to make West Virginia the best place we can make it.”
Both the state Senate and House will adjourn Wednesday afternoon before coming back for Governor Jim Justice’s State of the State Address. The address can be watched on the MetroNews channel.
By Jake Flatley
