MORGANTOWN – The first week of the 2022 legislative was overshadowed by COVID-19, and ended with a whimper as legislators held quick Friday morning floor sessions and got out of town before the expected winter storm.
The week opened with a focus on economic development as legislators met in special session Monday and Tuesday to pass a number of bills to pave the way for Nucor to announce plans for a $2.7 billion steel mill in Mason County and for Owens & Minor and WVU Medicine to announce plans for Owens & Minor to open a health care products preparedness center in Morgantown that will create more than 125 jobs, representing a $50 million investment.
Also on the economic development front, it was announced that GreenPower Motor Co. signed an agreement with the state to lease/purchase a 9.5-acre manufacturing facility in South Charleston, including an 80,000-square-foot building, to manufacture zero-emission, all-electric school buses, bringing hundreds of new jobs and millions of dollars in economic impact to West Virginia.
The 2022 regular session opened Wednesday, with a twist. Late Tuesday night Gov. Jim Justice announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. That totally altered the centerpiece of the day: the State of the State Address.
This evening event typically features state officials, legislators and their guests jam-packing the House chamber for the governor’s major speech of the year outlining his prior accomplishments and goals for the coming year.
Instead of that, Justice delivered an abbreviated five-page address ticking off some accomplishments. That short document was read in a matter of minutes on the House floor during its Wednesday afternoon floor session.
Justice was reported on Friday to be feeling better and recuperating.
Thursday morning, leaders of the minority Democratic Party outlined their goals in a Zoom/Facebook press conference. Their theme for the session is: “How can we bring those folks home and how can we keep our kids from leaving.”
They expressed irritation that among all the bills introduced, House Health and Human Resources chose to devote most of its first meeting on Thursday to two social agenda bills.
HB 4004 prohibits abortions after 15 weeks’ gestation. HB 4005 forbids the sale of fetal body parts from an induced abortion. Both bills passed handily with the committee’s GOP supermajority, though debate and discussion on HB 4004 ran well past an hour.
The bills go next to Judiciary and both committees have set a joint public hearing on the bills starting at 3 p.m. Monday.
The talk of the Capitol on Friday was the predicted winter storm expected to hit the state on Sunday. No committee meetings were held. The House and Senate both convened at 9 a.m. for quick floor sessions so everyone could get out of town.
The highlight of the House’s brief floor session was the weather report delivered by Delegate Jim Barach, D-Kanawha. Barach told his colleagues the storm was expected to hit Charleston by noon on Sunday and bury the city under 6-8 inches of snow Sunday evening into early Monday.
He urged his colleagues to return to town Sunday morning in order to arrive safely.
The Senate took a few minutes to recognize Fairmont State University at the Legislature. Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, was lead sponsor of SR 6, the resolution designating the day and honoring the university.
Caputo called FSU “the crown jewel of Marion County.”
Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, is a 2003 FSU graduate and also praised the work of the university and the leadership of President Mirta Martin, who watched from the gallery along with some student leaders.
After the floor session, Martin and the students crossed the Capitol to also receive a citation from the House.
Legislators resume their work on Monday, with the Senate convening at 11 a.m. and the House convening at 1 pm.
Tweet David Beard @dbeardtdp Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
