79th Legislature Gavels In, Awaits State of the State

The House of Delegates and Senate each held afternoon floors sessions and assigned nearly 300 bills before recessing until Gov. Joe Manchin's State of the State address, The Associated Prees reports.

Manchin will deliver his fifth since taking office at 7 p.m. The governor's Web site will stream the speech live, while Public Broadcasting is among those offering coverage.

WSAZ-TV and MetroNews each preview possible topics. The Charleston Daily Mail and WOWK-TV report that state teachers plan to rally outside the House Chamber in advance of Manchin's speech.

The American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia and the state School Service Personnel Association are calling for "using expected federal stimulus money for meaningful investment in West Virginia’s public schools," the latter reports. "Additionally, the organizations want elected officials to make employee salaries more competitive with surrounding states, protect personnel rights and expand school technology and infrastructure."