Adding Topics to Manchin's Agenda

Since he announced a three-item special session agenda Monday, and said he may seek to add more failed session bills to his list, Gov. Joe Manchin has been offered several suggestions.

The state's Consolidated Public Retirement Board has asked the governor to revive a House-passed bill allowing it to run "the newly created Emergency Medical Services retirement plan," The Charleston Gazette reports.

The Senate let the bill idle "after the House amended in an expensive proposal to provide health insurance benefits to EMS workers who retire at age 50," the article said.

But one bill Manchin has sworn off would dedicate state funds to aid troubled municipal police and fire pension funds, both WSAZ-TV and the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington report.

"I can assure you the feeling of the Legislature is not to jump in there and take on any municipal pensions when we have a hard enough time running our state responsibilities and liabilities," Manchin is quotes as telling Huntington officials during a Wednesday visit there.