Manchin Forming Federal PAC

Gov. Joe Manchin soon hopes to launch Country Roads, a federal political action committee that "would operate under federal rules and raise funds that Manchin could spend to support candidates and attend political events around the country," The Associated Press reports.

The governor tells AP that he sees the leadership PAC as a vehicle "for me to continue to tell the story of what we do in West Virginia... It gives me a chance to talk about all the contributions we have made to make this country great, and hopefully to set the record straight."

The article observes that "forming a leadership committee is a typical step for people who aspire to higher office." When asked about his election plans for 2012, when he is barred from running again for governor, Manchin told AP "I'm going to put myself in the best position possible to serve, and this gives me the vehicle to do that."

"At least two other sitting governors have leadership PACs, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics," the article said. "Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty started his Freedom First PAC in late 2009, while Haley's PAC was formed after Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour began his first term in 2004. Both are considered possible GOP presidential candidates."

MetroNews may have had first word of Manchin's PAC. The Charleston Daily Mail has an article as well.

Obama Makes Another W.Va. Pick

President Obama has nominated a Wheeling lawyer, William J. Ihlenfeld, for U.S. Attorney for West Virginia's northern federal court district, The Associated Press reports.

Ihlenfeld, 38, has been a prosecutor in both Brooke and Ohio counties, and is a graduate of West Virginia University's law school, the article said.

They Voted for You: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, voted for a measure that The Associated Press explains would "repeal the 1993 law that allows gay people to serve in the armed services only if they hide their sexual orientation."

Reps. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, and Nick Rahall, D-3rd, voted against the amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. It prevailed 234-194.

Earlier, Sen. Robert C. Byrd helped the Senate Armed Services Committee endorse a similar repeal in a 16-12 vote, AP reports. "The full Senate is expected to take up the defense bill next month, and Republicans are threatening a filibuster if the change in policy toward gays remains in the legislation," the article said.

House opponents "cited the letters of four military service chiefs urging Congress to hold off on legislation until the military gains a full assessment of the effects the repeal might have on military life and readiness," AP reports. "The House and Senate amendments stipulate that the repeal would not become law until after the study is completed and until the president, the defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that it will not have negative effects on the military's fighting ability."

Election 2010: Congress

Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball is the latest of the national political handicappers to recast or keep West Virginia's 1st Congressional District race as a "toss-up" in the wake of state Sen. Mike Oliverio's defeat of incumbent Rep. Alan Mollohan in the May 11 Democratic primary.

Congressional Quarterly's CQ Politics opines that "though Democrats are now fielding a more electable candidate, the general election between Oliverio and Republican nominee David McKinley, a former state legislator and West Virginia GOP chairman, should still be very competitive."

Others ranking the seat as a toss-up include the Rothenberg Political Report and the Cook Political Report.

Sabato and Cook, meanwhile consider the outcome for Rep. Nick Rahall, D-3rd, as "likely Democratic." Rothenberg and CQ Politics consider his seat "safe."

The seat of Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-3rd, is either unranked or deemed "safe Republican" by these observers.

Quote of the Day

"That was perhaps too much information."

-- U.S. House Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., after Obama Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told his committee that "he sent his deputy, David Hayes, to the Gulf Coast 'without a change of underwear' the day after the deadly blast" that preceded the Gulf oil spill. The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire reported on Rahall's comment.

Rahall in Thick of Gulf Oil Spill Fray (Updated)

With The Associated Press reporting on the apparent forced resignation of S. Elizabeth Birnbaum as director of the U.S. Minerals Management Service, those reacting (updated) include U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va.

Rahall is chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. It quizzed Birnbaum and her immediate boss, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, among other witnesses at a Wednesday hearing. C-SPAN has video.

(Update: Rahall told AP that "the departure of Elizabeth Birnbaum from MMS does not address the root problem. She has only been the public face of MMS for 11 months and the most serious allegations occurred prior to her tenure... This might on the surface be a good start but must not be the end game.)

Rahall's committee is conducting a series of hearings as it reviews a spill that AP reports has "has already surpassed the Exxon Valdez as the worst in U.S. history."

The committee was scheduled to hear from the heads of both BP America and Transocean Ltd. during a Thursday session.

USA Today reported earlier that Rahall had welcomed the announced departure of the MMS' administrator for offshore drilling programs. It quoted Rahall as saying he hoped it "signaled an understanding that wholesale changes 'will be necessary to fundamentally reform MMS.'"

AP also reported that Rahall had offered initial praise for Salazar's proposal to abolish the MMS as "a bold initiative to shake up a badly troubled agency by separating its three basic missions."

And USA Today is among those quoting Rahall as he and "other members of Congress have voiced concern about the government's response to the spill."

Rahall also appeared on the MSNBC program Hardball with Chris Matthews.

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire recently caught a decidedly different response from Rahall to a Salazar comment regarding the spill.

Senate Confirms New U.S. Attorney for Southern W.Va.

President Obama has won his pick for top prosecutor for West Virginia's southern federal court district, The Associated Press reports.

The Senate has confirmed the appointment of Booth Goodwin as U.S. Attorney for the district, the article said.

"Goodwin has been an assistant federal prosecutor for eight years," AP reports. "He won praise for his role in an investigation of widespread political corruption in southern West Virginia."

The Cost of Dropping Out

As West Virginia wrestles to craft improvements to its public schools, new research puts a price tag on the drain to metropolitan area economies caused by dropouts, The Associated Press reports.

"The Washington, D.C. based Alliance for Excellent Education estimates that keeping half those children in school would increase annual incomes by a combined $17.3 million for the Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown, Weirton and Wheeling metro areas," the article said.

The research suggests other multimillion-dollar boosts to consumer spending and gross regional products, AP reports.

The alliance's president, former Gov. Bob Wise shared its research at a Culture Center event sponsored by the West Virginia Education Alliance. Besides AP, coverage comes from
Public Broadcasting (with audio), The Charleston Gazette, the Charleston Daily Mail and MetroNews.

Education in West Virginia

With efforts underway to salvage education proposals from the abruptly halted special session, The Associated Press highlights statistics that "point to a need for changes to the state's public schools."

"The latest test scores and other figures from the National Center for Education Statistics suggest a struggling system," the article said.

The article notes that Gov. Joe Manchin's school-related proposals bogged down during the session amid objections by lawmakers to its pursuit of federal funds. "But Manchin's predecessor says the Legislature should focus on the changes promoted by the Obama administration through its offer of aid," the article said.

Now president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, former Gov. Bob Wise also told AP that "West Virginia is poised to wield unprecedented influence in this national debate."

"Manchin will become chairman of the National Governors Association in July," the article said. "State schools Superintendent Steve Paine is already president of the Council of Chief State School Officers. State school board member Lowell Johnson, meanwhile, presides over the National Association of State Boards of Education."

"The three groups leading the effort to bring change will be chaired by West Virginians," Wise told AP.

Congress Bringing Mine Disaster Review to West Virginia

Family members of miners killed in the Upper Big Branch disaster are among those expected to testify starting his hour at a congressional public hearing in Beckley, The Associated Press reports.

The House's Committee on Education and Labor is conducting the morning hearing.

"Among those scheduled to speak at the hearing are Gov. Joe Manchin, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, and relatives of fallen miners Dean Jones, Adam Morgan, Rex Mullins and Gary Quarles," the article said.

A Senate Appropriations subcommittee heard from Don Blankenship, chief executive of mine owner Massey Energy, and others during a Capitol Hill session last week.

Quote of the Day

"You know he's in there... And sometimes he'll have an expression that you're used to seeing. But then sometimes it's just blank."

-- Sherry Lilly, daughter of coal miner James Woods, to The Associated Press about his slow, uncertain rehabilitation after suffering brain trauma in the Upper Big Branch mine disaster.

He Voted for You: Wall Street Overhaul

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., helped pass that chamber's version of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009.

Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., was one of two members absent for the 59-39 roll call.

The Associated Press describes the legislation as "the most far-reaching restraints on big banks since the Great Depression. In its broad sweep, the massive bill would touch Wall Street CEOs and first-time homebuyers, high-flying traders and small town lenders."

"While Republicans succeeded in amending the bill, they still objected to its sweep, claiming it represented an expansion of government power that would have unintended consequences," the article said. "Democrats argued it was a potent response to the financial abuses, regulatory weaknesses and consumer misjudgments that plunged the nation deep into recession."

Congress to Hear from Blankenship (Updated)

Massey Energy CEO and Chairman Don Blankenship is scheduled to appear before a U.S. Senate appropriations subcommittee this afternoon for a hearing called in response to Massey's Upper Big Branch disaster.

The topic at the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies is "Investing in Mine Safety: Preventing Another Disaster."

Blankenship is slated to appear on the same panel of witnesses as Cecil Roberts, a longtime adversary and president of the United Mine Workers union.

Update: The Associated Press is covering the hearing. The subcommittee's site is hosting a live webcast of the hearing, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

2nd Update: The subcommittee has posted video of the hearing as well as prepared testimony of Blankenship, Roberts and other witnesses. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., has posted his opening statement from the hearing.

Old Habits, er, Die Hard?

A Lincoln County commissioner tells The Charleston Gazette that he suspects that "some of the absentee ballots cast in last week's primary election may have come from dead people."

Commissioner Charles Vance, a physician, said he recognized the names of several deceased residents on a roster of people listed as having voted early or absentee, including former patients, the newspaper reports.

Allegations surfaced shortly before the primary that an unusual number of absentee ballots had been requested in Lincoln County, the scene of a federal election fraud investigation within the last several years.

The Gazette reported earlier this week that absentee ballots helped flip the results in at least two county races, and that the "totals show that absentee voting was far more one-sided than some originally thought."

Taking a Break

With the House and Senate increasingly at odds over Gov. Joe Manchin's education proposals, the Legislature has halted its special session with plans to try again June 7, The Associated Press reports.

Seven days into the session, lawmakers had passed 15 other bills from the governor's agenda but none of its eight school-related measures, the article said.

"Hours before the announced pause, senators voted 9-18 to defeat that chamber's version of Manchin's proposed merit-pay boosts for educators," AP reported. "The House Education Committee had previously scuttled a separate measure addressing low-performing schools."

As a consequence of the delay, "West Virginia is dropping its bid for up to $75 million in federal Race to the Top funds," the article said. The application was due June 1.

Shott to Succeed Caruth in Senate

Delegate John Shott, R-Mercer, will fill the Senate seat of the late Minority Leader Don Caruth until at least the November election, The Associated Press reports.

Gov. Joe Manchin appointed Shott, a Bluefield lawyer, on Wednesday. Manchin said he had offered the seat to Caruth's widow, but that she declined and later said her late husband would have approved of the choice of Shott, the article said.

Shott was running unopposed for his House seat. A GOP committee will submit names to the governor for his replacement there.

AP notes that both the House and Senate honored Caruth with memorial resolutions Wednesday as part of the ongoing special session.

Senate Sinks Merit Pay Bill for Educators

While the Senate has largely embraced Gov. Joe Manchin's education agenda, it voted down proposed pay boost "for teachers and principals in West Virginia's high-poverty and minority public schools," The Associated Press reports.

Senators rejected the measure 9-18 after the Senate Education Committee both enhanced its key incentives and tinkered with provisions addressing the state's commitment to fund them, the article said.

The defeat comes as the two chambers grow increasingly divided over Manchin's school-focused agenda items, AP reports.

Legislative Loggerheads

With the Senate and House each taking Gov. Joe Manchin's education proposals in a different direction, their fate "remains uncertain," The Associated Press reports.

While 15 other bills have passed during the special session, scrutiny continues for the eight measures aimed at public schools.

The Senate has passed versions of nearly all of them that either embrace Manchin's intent or take it one or more steps further. The House has killed one of the measures through its Education Committee, and has gutted or scaled back several others.

"The two chambers have passed dueling versions of one measure that would reconfigure in-school oversight teams," the article said. "Similar conflicts are shaping up over bills to increase student health screenings, require annual teacher evaluations and allow alternative paths to certify educators."

W.Va. Press Corps Alum Withstands Fire

The Associated Press statehouse correspondent in Nashville whose press credentials were threatened after an incident last week will keep them, Romenesko reports.

The item relays an article from the Tennessee Report that says the House speaker -- the subject of the attempted photograph at issue -- believes AP's Erik Schelzig "in fact did nothing wrong." It has also posted video of the remarks.

Schelzig, who previously helped cover the West Virginia Legislature for AP, had tried to take pictures after House Speaker Kent Williams collapsed at his desk in the chamber.

Those defending Schelzig included The Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors.

Hiring, School Committee Bills Pass Senate

West Virginia schools would revise the process for interviewing and hiring teachers and principals, under legislation unanimously passed from the Senate to the House, The Associated Press reports.

A unanimous Senate also amended and advanced a House-passed bill revamping the system of in-school, decision-making committee teams, the article said. Delegates must now decide whether to concur with that version.

But as AP reports, that chamber has taken a different stance toward Gov. Joe Manchin's school-related special session proposals.

It "had scaled back that collaborative teams legislation," while "its Education Committee has already shot down the bill, addressing low-performing schools," the article said. "That committee is poised to remove mandates from a measure proposing increased student health screenings."