MORGANTOWN – State legislators will assemble for the November interim meetings starting Sunday, but they won’t be at the Capitol. They’re once again going on the road, this time to Wheeling.
Interims will run Sunday-Tuesday at various sites around the city.
PEIA rate hikes are a topic of concern across the state and Sunday’s meetings open with the Joint Standing Committee on Insurance and PEIA at noon, at The Health Plan headquarters on Main Street.
The agenda includes a discussion of pharmacy benefits by Capital Rx, a New York-based pharmacy benefits manager, and a view of medical insurance offers by The Health Plan.
The joint Health Committee meets 2:30-4 p.m., and has several topics on its agenda, including: a pilot project to evaluate impact of certain post-substance use disorder residential treatments; childcare; Medicaid dental benefits. This meeting is also at The Health Plan HQ.
On Monday, Government Organization will hear from the Performance Evaluation and Research Division on the Department of Education and managing American Rescue Plan funds. The legislators will also hear a presentation on SB 656, verifying legal employment status of workers to governmental agencies. The meeting runs 1-2:30 p.m., at Oglebay.
Veteran Affairs meets 2:30-4 p.m. at Oglebay and will hear about suicide prevention and support for disabled veterans, among other topics.
The state continues to move ahead with the prospect of fostering nuclear energy development, and the joint Energy & Manufacturing Committee will hear four presentations on the topic from 1-2:30 p.m., at Oglebay.
The challenge of inadequate funding for local fire and EMS departments continues, and the VFD and EMS committee will hear presentations on data related to the minimum numbers of ambulances and staff needed for EMS services, and an overview of Fire and EMS funding. This meeting runs 4-5:30 p.m., at Oglebay.
Several meetings will not be livestreamed. Some of them are site visits: to Grand Vue Park on Sunday, Wheeling Park High on Monday.
Others are because of various technical issues associated with connecting to so many different remote sites, the House speaker’s office told The Dominion Post. These include Workforce Development on Sunday; and Education and Judiciary on Monday. It’s possible these may be recorded and uploaded for later viewing, the Senate president’s office said.
Email: dbeard@dominionpost.com
