Good: HB 2774, the “Welcome Home Grant Program.” The pilot program will offer cash grants (up to $5,000) to help veterans and their families relocate to West Virginia on the condition they stay for three years.
To us, this bill is a “good, but …” Veterans are an odd group in that they are nationally lauded and beloved, but when it comes time to pay them back for their service — in benefits, health care or jobs — the nation leaves them standing there empty-handed. If West Virginia wants to attract veterans to the state, it needs to be prepared to offer more than $5,000 cash; it needs to make sure veterans have access to (at minimum) adequate medical and mental health services and jobs available that can accommodate disabled veterans.
The Legislature should consider putting more funding toward veterans-centric initiatives, such as veterans hospitals (of which there are four spread across the state) and clinics (of which there are fortunately more), as well as workforce training programs and existing not-for-profits such as Operation Welcome Home.
Bad: SB 10, the Campus Self-Defense Act, to force institutions of higher learning to allow concealed weapons on campus. We could waste space reiterating that the mere presence of guns increases rates of homicide and suicide — which we’ve covered extensively in the past — but instead we’re going to point out how this bill is just bad conservative policy.
The Republican Party prides itself on being the party of small government. Many of the legislators currently in Charleston ran on platforms decrying excessive government overreach — of which SB 10 is a prime example. Multiple representatives from the state’s institutions of higher learning — from university presidents to average students — have begged the Legislature not to force campus carry on them; rather, the state should continue to allow colleges to implement their own concealed carry policies in accordance with what is best for each school.
Unfortunately, our legislators’ pro-gun tunnel vision has become so extreme that they’ve abandoned conservative policy in their desire to “own the libs” — and, whether or not they choose to believe it, they are endangering hundreds of lives.
Stupid: SB 115, “providing procedure for WV to select delegates to Article V Convention.” Why is this one stupid? Because there will never be an Article V Convention. It takes 34 states to call a convention to amend the national constitution, and a large number of states realize what a circus that could be.
The Legislature passes this one every year. And every year, it continues to be a useless gesture. There are far more pressing issues facing West Virginia, and we wish the Legislature would stop wasting time on garbage like this and dedicate its efforts to solving the state’s real problems.
Speaking of wastes of time…
Stupid (Honorable Mention): HB 2783, to exempt primates from the Dangerous Wild Animal Review Board’s list of animals classified as dangerous wild animals. One of the lead sponsors is local Delegate Geno Chiarelli.
When we saw this one come up, we were left scratching our heads. Who does this bill help? What purpose does it serve?
For the record, primates (e.g., monkeys, gorillas, as well as lemurs, aye-ayes, marmosets and 230 other species) can be dangerous and probably shouldn’t receive a blanket exclusion. But we also noticed that the language of the law says “the list may include, but not be limited to …,” which means if Chiarelli and the two other sponsors really wanted pet monkeys, they could negotiate directly with the Dangerous Wild Animal Board instead of passing legislation. Conversely, the “may” could also mean that even if HB 2783 passes, the board could still keep primates on the list.
So all in all, this bill is yet another waste of the Legislature’s time and resources.
