MORGANTOWN – The state Legislature will be in Morgantown Sunday through Tuesday for interim meetings.
All but three meetings are set at the WVU Erickson Alumni Center. The exceptions are a 1:30 p.m. Monday address by WVU President Gordon Gee, at Reynolds Hall, and two Tuesday meetings at the law school event center: Judiciary at 9 a.m. and Interstate Cooperation at 10:30 a.m.
WVU said on Tuesday, “We look forward to hosting members of the West Virginia Legislature on our campus which will, in turn, provide opportunities for members to see firsthand new, innovative spaces such as Reynolds Hall, and to engage with our exceptional students, faculty and staff.”
Not all the meeting agendas are posted yet, but here are a few highlights from what’s available so far.
At 1 p.m. Sunday, the Joint Committee on Volunteer Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services will Monongalia EMS funding and the closure of Star City EMS. They will also discuss HCR 109, introduced but not passed during the regular session, “to study the cause and possible solutions to the issues surrounding the supply of current and demand for future emergency service personnel, including emergency medical technicians and paramedics in West Virginia.”
At 4 p.m. Sunday, Rob Alsop, WVU vice president for Strategic Initiatives, will give a presentation and tour on WVU deferred maintenance issues.
The Energy Committee meets at 9 a.m. Monday and green energy is on the agenda: battery manufacturing facilities and energy generation and storage for wind and solar facilities.
At 10:30 a.m., the Legislative Oversight Commission on Workforce Investment for Economic Development will get an update on the Ascend WV remote workforce recruitment program. WVU recently told The Dominion Post that 42 people have already arrived in Morgantown.
The Finance Committee will discuss locality pay at 9 a.m. Tuesday. John Deskins, director of WVU’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research will give a presentation on the topic.
Locality pay was a subject of controversy during the regular session after State Police Col. J. L. Cahill raised the issue for Eastern Panhandle troopers, where they can obtain substantially higher pay a few miles away in neighboring states.
The state employee pay raise bill that passed at the end of the session included a $10,000 raise for all state troopers in lieu of locality pay.
WVU plans to release further information about Gee’s speech and activities at the new Reynolds Hall later this week.
Tweet David Beard @dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
