The Legislature: Dueling Agendas

Gov. Joe Manchin's legislative agenda has pretty much taken shape for the session. There have been 16 proposals to date, each having a House and Senate version. Two more are expected this week. Last year, the governor had a 19-item legislative agenda.

The Legislature's Democratic leaders do not appear to have a formal list of policy goals. Former House Speaker Bob Kiss sometimes sought to pass a relative handful of bills within a session's first two weeks. But his successor, Speaker Rick Thompson, and Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin have yet to anoint any specific proposals this session.

Enter the Republicans. House and Senate GOP lawmakers plan to hold a 10 a.m. press conference this morning to outline their agenda for the session.

Last year's agenda included abolishing the food tax, curbs on eminent domain and tougher sexual predator laws. The Legislature passed bills for each of those issues -- prompting the Republicans to boast that the majority party keeps stealing from their playbook.

Of course, each party's approach has differed. Action on eminent domain, for instance, fell short of the constitutional amendment sought by Republicans, while the Democrats have opted to phase out the food tax over time.

And while most Republicans oppose table games, whether that becomes part of an official agenda remains to be seen. The loss of Ohio County's two House seats should strengthen the GOP's resolve in that chamber (in the House, the 2006 elections shut the Republicans entirely out of the Northern Panhandle; their closest seat is in Tyler County). But two of the Senate's 11 Republicans will be co-sponsoring today's table games bill in that chamber.