Manchin's Momentum

As they did during the first two regular sessions of his term, the Legislature has advanced the agenda proposed by Gov. Joe Manchin more or less intact before the Day 50 crossover deadline.

I tried to offer an overview in this story from The Associated Press. Seeking to put his success so far in some sort of context, there have been critics who have questioned whether this year's agenda involved any heavy lifting.

That would explain, these folks say, the tax cut measures that emerged from the Senate this week, or the meatier pay raise legislation passed by the House.