Legislature 2009: The Crossover

Most bills had until Friday (officially Sunday, but the Legislature recessed for the weekend) to clear committees in the chamber where they began. Wednesday is Day 50, when the bills from each body must have crossed over to the other.

The Associated Press weighs Gov. Joe Manchin's agenda in advance of this deadline. It remains mostly intact, with the exceptions including proposals to "unite West Virginia’s gambling regulators" and "reconfigure tax collections from oil and gas wells."

The News and Sentinel of Parkersburg focuses on the "gaming commission" proposal, and another seemingly doomed bill to "transfer control of deer farming to the Department of Agriculture."

Those bills in danger of missing the deadline include the long-delayed, much-ballyhooed bid to drug test people on unemployment, food stamps and "welfare." MetroNews and The Register-Herald of Beckley sound the bell for that bill, as does The Charleston Gazette.

The latter chides its chief sponsor for "all his publicity-seeking sound and fury (including appearances on CNN and Fox News)," but adds that "he might attempt the rare move of trying to have the bill (HB3007) discharged from the (House Judiciary) committee."

The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington also notes the approaching deadline while highlighting key bills.

Public Broadcasting sees movement in "a bill to encourage solar and wind energy development," and offers audio and video.