Legislation 2009: Day 10

*** With the session one-sixth of the way through, legislators have introduced nearly 1,000 bills. Two have passed the House so far.

*** Lawmakers weighing Gov. Joe Manchin's school calendar bill have learned that only three of 55 counties still have a shot at the current level of 180 instructional days this year, The Charleston Gazette reports.

"And just one more snow day in those three counties - Kanawha, Berkeley and Hardy - would eliminate any chance they have," the article said.

MetroNews also has an item on the school calendar situation, with audio.

*** Legislative leaders tell The Associated Press that their members aren't talking much about the constitutional amendment on marriage sought by an evangelical Christian group. The leader of The Family Policy Council of West Virginia, meanwhile, says he believes it has been following the law in soliciting donations from state residents for the campaign.

AP and The Register-Herald also heard from Gov. Joe Manchin on the topic (he called the proposal "overkill"), while the House's GOP leader disagrees and told the Beckley newspaper that "it’s something we can do fairly quickly and put it on the ballot."

*** The Register-Herald also reports on the latest bid for a bottle deposit law in West Virginia, as does The Gazette and MetroNews.

*** MetroNews reports on the state mine safety chief's budget request, which reflects that it is "expanding its jurisdiction to include river coal loading facilities that are connected to active mining sites." The report includes audio of Director Ron Wooten.