The Legislature, Day 44

* BROADBAND: A Senate committee had endorsed legislation that aims to increase broadband Internet access in the Mountain State. But Tom Breen cites industry sources in The Associated Press article who say that while 75 percent of residents have access, relatively few subscribe to broadband.

Breen also reports on a recent study that found that 27.5 percent of households in the state get broadband service, compared with 36.5 percent nationally. And while 58 percent of state residences have a computer, 68 percent do nationally.

*DUI: The House had voted to change the prison sentencing for fatal DUIs, to ensure a longer minimum term. A delegate tells AP that the bill was prompted by the September death of his cousin, a 49-year-old nurse and mother of three broadsided by a driver high on drugs. That bill now goes to the Senate.

* HOSPITAL DAY: The state's acute care hospitals will visit and lobby the Legislature today, amid a fight with doctors over which can offer what procedures in a heavily regulated health care industry.

* MEDICAID: The House has passed a bill to the Senate that would add two legislators to the state Medicaid Advisory Board. The Charleston Gazette quotes the measure's backers, who seek greater oversight in the wake of controversial decisions in the Medicaid program.

* PAY RAISES: Public Broadcasting is the latest to try to pin down Gov. Joe Manchin after he changed his stance earlier this week on proposed increases for teachers and state employees.

* TABLE GAMES: After dropping the issue from its agenda Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee may consider the House-passed racetrack table games bill this afternoon.

* TOBACCO BOND: Manchin's bill to raise cash with bonds backed by tobacco settlement payments has gotten some traction, MetroNews reports, as one of several bills from his agenda to clear the Senate Finance Committee.

* WATER QUALITY: Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Unger, D-Berkeley, touts the merits of a pending water quality measure to the Register-Herald of Beckley.

Teacher Pensions

An estimated 19,602 West Virginia teachers and Department of Education employees are in a real bind.

About 1,000 of them successfully sued to block the merger of their 401(k)-style individual investment accounts into the traditional-style Teachers Retirement System fund.

But several thousand more favored the merger. Most likely are worried that their individual accounts aren't earning enough for their future retirement benefits.

As I point out in The Associated Press' update on this issue, state officials say none of the individual accounts has more than $200,000, and only 72 have more than $100,000. To match the benefits offered by TRS, an account would need at least $500,000.

The Legislature appears unlikely to act this session. The agency that oversees state pensions, the Consolidated Public Retirement Board, met Wednesday to discuss its options.

The board decided to wait until its April 11 meeting to vote on whether to appeal the court ruling. The appeal deadline is May 25.

Besides weighing the merits of a legal challenge, the board in the meantime will be studying the financial impact of the current situation on both its system and the 401(k)-style enrollees. The board will also aid a similar study by lawmakers, which will yield a report in July.

The Charleston Gazette also has the story, and also examines some of the costs involved.

Table Games Bill Extends Its Streak

The racetrack table games bill (HB2718) cleared its first major Senate hurdle today with the endorsement of the Judiciary Committee there. The Associated Press has the latest.

Before sending the bill to Senate Finance, the committee tinkered with the percentages for distributing the potential revenue from table games proceeds.

Senate Judiciary increased the revenues for county and local governments, by reducing the shares for race prize purses. The committee also increased revenues for track worker pensions.

AP also highlights this latest version's details. Bill foes again failed to weaken, poison or derail the bill, but will have several more chances. The House must approve today's and any other changes made by senators to the bill.

Update: Both The Charleston Gazette and MetroNews (with audio) also covered Thursday's hearing, while Talkline's Hoppy Kercheval focused on the failed bid to involve video poker machines in the discussion.

The Legislature, Day 43 - UPDATE II

* ABORTION: The Senate Health and Human Resources Committee has amended and advanced this session's bill to tighten the state's parental notification law, as The Charleston Gazette reports.
(Update: Today is Pro-Life Day at the Legislature, and hundreds of anti-abortion advocates have thronged the Capitol Rotunda for a lengthy program of speakers and live music. Gov. Joe Manchin attended last year's event.)

* ATVs (Updated): The Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced a bill banning the machines, but there's a catch as The Associated Press' Tom Breen reports. The committee derailed a companion measure Tuesday.

* INVESTMENTS: The Gazette also tracks separate House and Senate bills that would allow the state to invest in real estate and other assets beyond the stocks and bonds currently permitted.

* SCHOOL BUS RIDES: MetroNews reports on a renewed effort by Gov. Joe Manchin to address the length of school bus routes.

* SMOKING IN CARS (updated): The Senate has passed to the House an amended version of legislation that seeks to bar adults from smoking in vehicles with child passengers. The Register-Herald of Beckley earlier offered details.

* TEACHER PAY: The House Finance Committee has advanced the version of Manchin's salary hike bill amended earlier by the House Education Committee. The Gazette and MetroNews both report on this latest development. The full House could vote on the bill as early as Friday.
(Update: teachers are also worried that county school boards or the state will follow the example of Auditor Glenn Gainer and post their salaries online, the Charleston Daily Mail reports.)

* LEGISLATIVE PAY (update): Lawmakers _ or, at least, Senate Finance Chairman Walt Helmick, D-Pocahontas _ remain interested in getting a pay raise, as recommended before the session's start. MetroNews has the story.

Quote of the Day

"It is a stain on West Virginia's national image as a place to do business."

-- Lauren C. Steele, vice president of corporate affairs for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, on the state's "double taxation" of soft drinks.

Here Come the Judges

West Virginia would get more circuit court and family court judges under separate proposals that advanced Tuesday in the Legislature. But a top lawmaker (Senate Majority Leader Truman Chafin) is questioning Gov. Joe Manchin's mood for funding additional jurists.

The House Judiciary Committee endorsed a bill that would add 10 family court judges to as many of the state's 26 family court circuits. The bill would also redraw nine of those circuits to help judges with their caseloads.

The provisions are drawn from a recent Supreme Court-commissioned study of the five-year-old family court system.

A Senate Judiciary subcommittee, meanwhile, sent that full committee a measure adding 7 circuit judges statewide. Chafin, D-Mingo, objected to this bill, as amended.

When introduced, the bill had proposed creating 10 circuit judgeships, based on another recent study. The subcommittee whittled that list down to five, but then tacked on two more judges.

The five included one for Chafin's district as well as one for Kanawha (the largest, with 7 judges currently) .

Subcommittee Chairman Mike Oliverio, D-Monongalia, had one added for his circuit. Chafin said that this county made neither the original bill nor the underlying study's recommendations. Oliverio criticized the study as failing to consider population growth.

Sen. John Yoder, R-Jefferson and a subcommittee member, then had a judge added to his circuit. It had been left out of the original bill, partly because it received an additional judge under legislation passed last year.

Critics have already emerged to question why both bills add judges in counties that have been losing population. Besides Mingo and Wayne counties, that list includes Lincoln, Boone and Logan counties for the family court judge bill.

Pop Tax on the Chopping Block

As The Associated Press reported Tuesday, a bill from Gov. Joe Manchin to repeal the state's pop tax happened to coincide with the Soft Drink Association's annual lobbying day at the Legislature.

Industry officials say Manchin agrees with them that soft drinks are being unfairly taxed twice. At the governor's behest, lawmakers set an additional, 6 percent sales tax on soda during last year's special session on taxation.

The pop tax dates back to 1951, when the state needed money to build WVU's medical school. The tax provided $14.9 million to to the school last year. Officials there tell me the money also benefits the pharmacy, nursing and dentistry schools, and accounts for 21 percent of their total state funding.

MetroNews follows up on the governor's proposed pop tax repeal (with audio), which would take about 14 years. Talkline's Hoppy Kercheval also recounts Tuesday's mad scramble by a WVU med school official to stymie the bill.

The Legislature, Day 42 - UPDATED

*MINE SAFETY: Senators altered parts of Gov. Joe Manchin's legislation (SB68) before advancing it to the House today, as The Associated Press details.

* TABLE GAMES: The Senate Judiciary Committee could take the House-passed bill up on Wednesday. In the meantime, The Charleston Gazette underscores the racetracks' desire to scale back its proposed tax and fee rates.

* PAY RAISES: Gov. Joe Manchin sought to qualify his change of position on pay hikes during a Tuesday morning appearance on MetroNews' Talkline show (with audio). Public Broadcasting, meanwhile, has interviewed House Finance Chairman Harry Keith White on the subject (audio link).

*ATV SAFETY: The Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Committee killed one of several pending all-terrain vehicles measures today. The 5-4 vote derailed a bill that would have required owners to register their vehicles -- and pay a fee and a tax. MetroNews has the story.

Gas Tax In, Pop Tax Out

The Legislature marked the state Soft Drink Association's visit to the Capitol on Tuesday with a bill from Gov. Joe Manchin to repeal the venerable pop tax over 14 years.

As The Associated Press reports, Manchin (and the industry) believe soft drinks are being unfairly taxed twice. Lawmakers set a 6 percent sales tax on soda (at Manchin's request) during last year's special session on taxation.

The pop tax dates back to 1951, when the state needed money to build WVU's medical school. The tax provided $14.9 million to to the school last year (5 percent of overall revenues, but about half the state's share of its funding).

I also note that the House on Tuesday sent the Senate a bill to renew the nickel-a-gallon portion of the gas tax set to expire in August. The bill has been amended to send part of its revenue into a separate fund which only the Legislature can tap.

This new account is earmarked for state roads ineligible for federal funding, but the administration is questioning this change to the bill.

The Legislature, Day 42

* TABLE GAMES: The Senate is expected to decide how to handle the bill when members caucus Wednesday morning. In the meantime, The Charleston Gazette underscores the racetracks' desire to scale back its proposed tax and fee rates.

* DRUG TESTING: Legislation to require random drug testing of high school athletes may not pass this session, but it has prompted a study topic for the monthly interim meetings that lawmakers will hold over the remainder of the year, the Gazette reports.

The Charleston Daily Mail, meanwhile, delves into the nuts and bolts of drug tests, in light of pending proposals promoting drug-free workplaces.

* PAY RAISES: In the wake of Gov. Joe Manchin's change of position on pay hikes, Public Broadcasting plans to interview West Virginia Education Association President Charles DeLauder at 6:30 p.m. on The Legislature Today.

* VOYEURISM: The Senate is scheduled to vote today on a bill prompted by an incident relayed to a Northern Panhandle lawmaker, the Register-Herald of Beckley reports.

Manchin budges on pay proposals

Gov. Joe Manchin told The Associated Press on Monday that he supports granting state employees a permanent raise, and wants that pay hike to match whatever teachers receive during the ongoing legislative session.

The administration also told AP that it's amenable to a more robust raise for teachers than what Manchin proposed in his pending bill.

The governor had requested only a one-time lump-sum payment for rank-and-file workers, equal to 2.5 percent of their wages.

Manchin had also proposed a 2.5 percent salary hike for educators, but the House Education Committee has boosted that to 3.5 percent while converting the bonus into a permanent raise for school service personnel.

The governor addressed the issue after dozens of state employees spent their Presidents' Day holiday at the Capitol lobbying for better pay and other improvements. Both the Register-Herald of Beckley and MetroNews covered the larger of the two competing rallies.

The Charleston Daily Mail, meanwhile, notes that the state continues to phase in about $77 million worth of teacher salary increases passed during a 2005 special legislative session that focused on pay issues (and I observe in the AP story that rank-and-file state workers received a $900 raise during that session).

Speaking of non-binding resolutions...

A group of House Democrats have co-sponsored a concurrent resolution that would have the Legislature register disapproval of the Bush administration's plan to send another 20,000 troops to Iraq.

The measure prefaces this proposed disapprobation by stating that "The Legislature and the citizens of West Virginia will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq..."

Its language (and weight) mirrors that of the resolution approved by the U.S. House of Representatives after lengthy discussion last week.

As The Associated Press' Tom Breen reports, as many as a dozen other states are considering similar measures. Vermont's Legislature has already passed one, as has the Iowa Senate, Breen found. Lawmakers in Maryland and Maine, meanwhile, have issued letters to make a similar point.

Breen talked to interest groups that spoke in support of the West Virginia resolution during a Capitol press conference. MetroNews covered the Monday event as well, and offers audio.

The AP also talked to House Minority Leader Tim Armstead, R-Kanawha, a member of the Rules Committee that would decide whether to add the resolution to the House's agenda.

"Some may disagree with this, but I think that this kind of resolution is discouraging to our troops," Armstead told AP. "If they decide to run it, they should expect hours and hours of debate on it."

The push for the resolution follows last week's picketing and 10-hour sit-in at the Kanawha City office of U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., by opponents of the Bush administration plan.

Mine Safety Bill Up In Senate

One day after Gov. Joe Manchin toured a Marshall County coal mine and touted some of his safety proposals, the state Senate is scheduled to vote on his legislation on this issue this morning.

The Charleston Gazette offers a preview of the pending bill, after questioning whether the Senate Judiciary Committee diluted one of its provisions. Public Broadcasting also weighs Senate changes to the bill (audio).

MetroNews also sets the stage for today's vote, while the Register-Herald of Beckley focuses on the failed bid to add a tax credit to the pending bill.

In the arena of mining, the Gazette recently scrutinized whether the state has been tracking the mitigation of waterways buried by mountaintop removal mining.

The Champ

Gov. Joe Manchin earned a mention in a Sunday profile of Bill Richardson, New Mexico governor and 2008 Democratic presidential contender.

The Albuquerque Journal quotes Manchin praising Richardson's leadership as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

"Bill took us to a whole new level ... brought it all together," Manchin says in the article. "I think the people of West Virginia need to be introduced to Bill Richardson."

The Journal also recounts how Manchin showed his and the DGA's appreciation during a December event in Washington, D.C.

The article said Manchin "hushed the crowd at the holiday reception and gave Richardson a red boxing glove autographed by Muhammad Ali.

"Bill has been our champ," Manchin told the partygoers. "One champ to another."

The Legislature, Day 41

Today marks the deadline for senators to introduce bills (the only exception is for measures that direct state spending, as with supplemental appropriations).

The Associated Press offers an update on the Top 10 bills of the 2007 session.

The AP's Tim Huber updates on West Virginia's efforts, partly through legislation, to improve mine safety.

The AP also reports on the heir apparent to the fabled Budget Digest: "Community Participation Projects." The Charleston Gazette's Phil Kabler gives mention to this as well in today's column ("Frying a Fresh Slab of Pork," has he puts it).

The Gazette also follows up on an often-overlooked provision of Gov. Joe Manchin's teacher pay raise bill that would boost the bonus teachers earn for national certification.

With the Legislature increasing its attention to the upcoming state budget, Public Broadcasting plans to interview the House and Senate finance committee chairmen at 6:30 p.m. on The Legislature Today.

And speaking of the state budget, the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington touts a recent study that credits West Virginia's three medical schools for providing nearly 21,000 jobs and adding $2.5 billion to the economy.

The Bills You Have to Pay

In his State of the State address last month, Gov. Joe Manchin pledged to find for West Virginians a "patient-friendly" medical billing system. The Associated Press' Tom Breen follows up on the governor's promise, which was prompted in part by Manchin's recent knee surgery.

Breen also reports that Manchin has added to this goal a related objective: to make West Virginia the first state "to reward Medicaid recipients who find instances of overcharging or fraud on their medical bills."

Quote of the Weekend

“Aren’t you Don Perdue?”

-- Deborah Linz of WCHS/WVAH-TV, during her purported attempt to confront the Wayne County delegate about legislation involving gamecocks. According to the Sunday Gazette-Mail, Linz mistook state Treasurer John Perdue for her would-be prey during a Capitol press conference last week.

Weekend Roundup

* BUFFALO CREEK: The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington marks the 35th anniversary of the 1972 disaster that scarred far more than the landscape of a Logan County hollow. Besides photos (here and here) and video (here and here) from the disaster that killed 125 people, the commemoration offers eyewitness and plans for an upcoming memorial.

* LEGISLATIVE PERENNIALS: The Associated Press notes the unofficial rule of thumb that bills rarely pass the first session they're introduced, and there exists a select batch that never seem quite ready for prime time.

* TAMARACK: The (Charleston) Sunday Gazette-Mail weighs the future of West Virginia's arts and crafts showplace in the wake of recent studies and continuing legislative antipathy toward its parent agency, the Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority.

* RECORD VERDICT: The Gazette-Mail also continues the scrutiny of the $405 million verdict that has fueled the ongoing debate over the state's civil justice system. This installment focuses on how about 150 of the 9,000 plaintiffs in the natural gas royalty dispute are land companies and other businesses.

* A THOUSAND CUBIC FEET OF PAPER: The Charleston Daily-Mail (via an AP Exchange) follows up on the state's effort to preserve the official papers of the late veteran U.S. Sen. Jennings Randolph, D-W.Va., which fill 986 boxes in the archives of the state Division of Culture and History.

Table Games Passes the House - UPDATE

Today's vote was close, 53-40 with two absences (Frederick, D-Mercer, and Walters, R-Kanawha).

(I've clarified the vote total because two sets of "paired" votes aren't supposed to count in the official roll call: Don Perdue, D-Wayne, and Robert Schadler, R-Mineral, each paired a "yes" vote with a "nay" vote from Sam Cann, D-Harrison, and Walter Duke, R-Berkeley.)

It marks the first time the House has voted on a table games bill since the issue emerged several years ago.

Besides The Associated Press article, I've filed a roll call and a glance of the bill's highlights.

As I note, 17 Democrats voted against the bill (18 if Cann is included), while 2 Republicans broke ranks to support it (3 if you count Schadler).

Though Eustace Frederick, D-Mercer, has been ill and was absent, he ask that his vote be recorded in the negative (it is NOT counted in the tally).

Once and future Delegate Ron Thompson, D-Raleigh, meanwhile still has yet to take the oath for this term and so is not counted at all.

At least 16 delegates argued for or against the bill before its passage to the Senate.

The Legislature, Day 38

* Unexpected issues have emerged in the Senate anti-abortion bill that aims to tighten the state's parental notification law, The Charleston Gazette reports.

* Both the Gazette and MetroNews covered Thursday's changes to an anti-smoking measure that targets adults who light up in vehicles with child passengers.

* Public Broadcasting weighs the chances of legislation that would measure greenhouse gas emissions.

* The House of Delegates is scheduled to vote today on the racetrack table games bill, as I indicated in an earlier post.

Quote of the Day

‘‘The state of West Virginia is placing too much emphasis on an enterprise that’s going to come back to haunt us."

-- Delegate John Pino, D-Fayette, during Thursday's debate on amendments to the racetrack table games bill.

Table Games Vote: Setting the Stage

The House of Delegates has moved up the start of its floor session by 1 hour, to 10 a.m., with the racetrack table games bill on the agenda for a vote on passage.

This would be the first time that the full House voted on table games since the issue emerged several years ago. Its passage by the House Judiciary and Finance committees, and Thursday's floor debate, were also milestones for such legislation.

As I pointed out in The Associated Press story on Thursday's action, none of the amendments backed by the bill's opponents garnered more than 39 votes.

The bid to require a constitutional amendment -- a provision with supporters beyond the House's gambling foes -- attracted only 37 votes.

Judiciary Chairwoman Carrie Webster, D-Kanawha, walked point for the bill during much of the four-and-a-half hour debate, as her committee was one of the two that had earlier debated, amended and endorsed it.

Delegate John Doyle, D-Jefferson, was the most successful among the amendment sponsors, winning 5 of 9 votes. Doyle's district includes Charles Town Races & Slots, but that does not automatically make him a bill supporter. The ongoing tension between the tracks owners and those who breed, train, care for and ride its horses was evident in the substance of his amendments.

Delegate Corey Palumbo, D-Kanawha, led the charge on requiring a constitutional amendment (and statewide vote).

Others who proposed failed amendments include House Minority Leader Tim Armstead and Delegate Patrick Lane, both R-Kanawha. Their district includes Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming Center, but they oppose the bill on several grounds.

Delegate Kelli Sobonya, R-Cabell, had sponsored four amendments but then withdrew them all before Thursday's debate ended.

Other coverage of Thursday's amendment phase comes from The Charleston Gazette, the Register-Herald of Beckley, MetroNews (with audio) and W.Va. Media.

House Amends Table Games Bill - UPDATED

The House of Delegates adopted 6 amendments while shooting down another 17 before advancing the racetrack table games bill for a Friday vote on passage.

The debate lasted about four and half hours.

The successful amendments largely aim to placate concerns among the folks directly involved on the racing side of these tracks (as opposed to the video lottery machine and related amenities side).

As I note in The Associated Press story, the failed amendments included several from gambling opponents. As a possible foreshadowing of Friday, none of these amendments received more than 39 votes.

The House clerk's office very helpfully includes links to each amendment (including several that were withdrawn from consideration) and info on the outcomes on the bill status site.

Quote of the Day

"I'm glad that he is getting help for whatever the issue is. However, we could have been told this information sooner, and we could have avoided all this."

-- Delegate Linda Sumner, R-Raleigh on the out-then-in status of fellow 27th District member Ron Thompson.

The Legislature, Day 37

* The House resumes its attention to other matters following the latest, surprise development in the saga of once and future Delegate Ron Thompson , as The Associated Press reports. Coverage of the vote to restore the Raleigh County Democrat's seat was heavy, as one might imagine. The hometown Register-Herald of Beckley, The Charleston Gazette, MetroNews (with audio) and W. Va. Media (with video) were among those on the scene.

* The AP continues its coverage of all-terrain vehicle legislation, with a look at several measures advancing in the Senate. MetroNews has a related report.

* The Register-Herald takes a peek (sorry) at the effort to make voyeurism a crime.

* W.Va. Media covered Wednesday's hearing on legislation that aims to deter the theft of copper and other metals. With video. The AP highlighted the issue earlier this session.

* Though the House could debate amendments to the racetrack table games bill today, delegates may opt to wait until it comes up for a vote on Friday. The Register-Herald, MetroNews and Public Broadcasting all offer stories.

Bonus Quote of the Day

"There's a lot of firsts happening for me this session"

-- Delegate Ricky Moye, D-Raleigh, before the House voted Wednesday to rescind last week's historic resolution that had declared vacant the seat won by Ron Thompson in November. Moye, a freshman, hails from Thompson's 27th Delegate District.

The Legislature's Lazarus: Ron Thompson Restored

The House of Delegates gave Ron Thompson his seat back today in the 27th District.

On a voice vote, the House adopted a resolution that reverses the one approved last week declaring his seat vacant.

The House had previously concluded that the long-absent Thompson had refused to take his oath of office. But a doctor has written a letter on his behalf, saying he is being treated for a condition that is keeping him from the Capitol.

But this doctor also expects a fully recovery for Thompson, and believes he will be able to resume his legislative duties, House leaders say.

The letter prompted today's action. But as with last week's vote, the House was not unanimous.

Several GOP delegates questioned whether the House has the authority to undo its prior decision. (Those who voted "nay" last week argued that the House was acting too hastily, and that not enough was known about Thompson's situation).

As I note in The Associated Press story, the clerk and a WVU law professor who has (literally) written the book on the West Virginia Constitution say the House is within its rights.

The AP story can also be found here. MetroNews has a report as well, with audio.

The Legislature, Day 36

* AARP has the makings of a victory this session with the Senate's passage of a bill that would allow consumers to "freeze" their credit reports to blunt the damage from identity thieves. But though the bill was sent to the House on a unanimous vote, The Associated Press' Tom Breen notes misgivings over one of its provisions.

* The Legislature still has yet to address last year's Supreme Court ruling that sets the state school aid formula on a collision course with special laws that mandate county funding of public libraries. Public Broadcasting is the latest to assess the situation (an earlier post on the topic here).

* As expected, the racetrack table games bill was delivered to the full House on Tuesday. As with all bills, it requires three separate readings in as many days before a vote on passage. It was not read on Tuesday, though, setting the stage for a third reading and vote on Friday.

So, How Much Ya Make?

When Fanny Seiler still wielded a pen at the state Capitol, a recurring feature of her newspaper column was public salaries. Seiler would list the pay of top officials and even entire offices within state government, with a particular focus on raises.

And just as routinely, this feature drove Statehouse folks up a wall. Phil Kabler has continued that tradition, albeit to a limited extent.

Now, state Auditor Glen Gainer has one-upped them all, and in a major way: he has posted online the 2006 gross compensation of pretty much everyone in West Virginia's employ.

There are 65,594 names listed, in a whopping 1,223-page report. As one might expect, West Virginia University football coach Rich Rodriquez has the highest pay listed, at $1.23 million (this was before the scare involving Alabama's coach hunt). WVU hoops coach John Beilein follows, at $848,983.

One Brenda Turner rounds out the roster, having received 1 cent (As a colleague put it, she must work for DHHR...). A reader correctly notes that the list reflects W2 filings, and so would cover wages as well as overtime, bonuses, etc.

All told, 640 people are listed with six-figure compensation (or better, in the case of coach Rodriguez). The payroll totals $1,454,644,764.24.

The Associated Press has a story. Public Broadcasting's Scott Finn was the first to report on Gainer's mega-list, and also offers audio.

Quote of the Day

"That's a March decision. You wait until you see what you can do here.''

-- American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia President Judy Hale, on talk of a strike if the legislative session does not yield the sort of raises sought by her group.

The Legislature: Abortion Enters the Fray

Abortion has officially emerged as an issue in the 2007 session, with legislation that aims to tighten the state's parental notification law.

Senate Bill 544 debuted this week with the bipartisan backing of half that chamber's members. As The Associated Press' Tom Breen reports, those co-sponsors include Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, D-Logan, and the chairmen of both committees assigned to review the bill.

With its quick passage in the Senate assured, Breen looks ahead to its fortunes in the House of Delegates. Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne, is considered anti-abortion. Judiciary Chairwoman Carrie Webster, whose committee will receive the bill, is not.

But that dynamic is not new for the House. It echoes the respective stances of former Speaker Bob Kiss and Jon Amores, his Judiciary chair.

Webster, D-Kanawha, earned praise from both parties for last week's handling of the table games bill, and tells AP she will give the approaching measure due consideration.

Teacher pay bill amended

The House Education Committee tacked on another percentage point to Gov. Joe Manchin's teacher pay raise proposal, kicking it up a notch to 3.5 percent today.

The committee also made permanent the bonus-like payment the governor is offering school service personnel, but removed the provision promising all full-time teachers a minimum salary of $30,000.

The bill advances to House Finance.

The major teacher groups remain unimpressed, however, and say some of their members are mulling over striking if the final bill fails to satisfy.

Manchin earlier provided lawmakers with budget projections suggesting that the raises sought by these groups would create huge deficits, and soon, when compared to his proposal.

The Legislature, Day 35

With table games clearing another hurdle and teacher pay on today's agenda, the Legislature is picking up the pace this week.

* The Associated Press reports on a bill endorsed by the House Judiciary Committee that seeks to curb lawsuits filed by non-residents. The Legislature had earlier targeted out-of-state plaintiffs, but that effort was deemed unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court.

* The Senate Government Organization Committee, meanwhile, has advanced a proposed overhaul of the statewide system for resolving public and education employee grievances, according to the The Charleston Gazette.

* The Register-Herald of Beckley continues the coverage this session on follow-up legislation targeting all-terrain vehicles.

* The AP looks at one example of localized fallout from the Mark Foley scandal.

* The Charleston Daily Mail follows up on workplace drug testing, an issue pursued by the coal industry and touted by Gov. Joe Manchin in this year's State of the State address.

New Report on West Virginia Turnpike

Amid a handful of bills targeting the West Virginia Turnpike and its parent agency earlier this session, an in-depth study sought by Gov. Joe Manchin has issued findings.

The Public Resources Advisory Group recommends against dismantling the Turnpike's tolls or transferring the 88-mile road to the state Division of Highways. Some lawmakers favor both steps.

PRAG instead suggests that legislators restore the Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority's bond-selling powers, and that the Turnpike hike tolls. The detailed report also touts privatizing the Turnpike and/or adding tolls to additional roads and to bridges in the state.

PRAG also casts further doubt on the authority's economic development and tourism endeavors, and makes further recommendations regarding Tamarack.

Besides The Associated Press story, the authority's hometown Register-Herald of Beckley offers both an overview of the report and reaction from the authority. The Charleston Gazette also reports on the study.

A Tale of Two (Ex-) Chairmen

Two former heads of West Virginia's Republican Party are in the news this week, for somewhat different reasons.

Rob Capehart has been approved by the Higher Education Policy Commission to be the next president of West Liberty State College. Capehart is slated to take over at the Northern Panhandle school July 1.

Capehart had chaired the West Virginia GOP for about a year when he was named a Fulbright Scholar in May. He was then dispatched to the former Soviet bloc nation of Moldova, now an emerging democracy, where he worked with its tax officials.

I had a chance to interview Capehart before his five-month overseas assignment. I hope to follow up on how things went over there and also ask about his new assignment. West Virginia Public Radio has a segment as well.

The AP also reports that Steve LeRose has filed to run for mayor of Summersville, a post he held from 1985 to 1999.

Just days after losing a June 1999 re-election bid, LeRose pleaded guilty to federal bank fraud and tax evasion charges stemming from a $3.3 million check-kiting scheme.

LeRose had been GOP chairman for about two and a half years when he resigned in December 1996, after evidence of the check fraud scheme first surfaced. LeRose's three brothers also pleaded guilty to felony charges in the case. LeRose was sentenced to 27 months.

The 57-year-old was released in November 2001. "I made a mistake and have accepted responsibility for it. I completed the punishment given,'' LeRose told the Register-Herald of Beckley. "That was the past and I am looking forward to the future."

Table Games bill rolls another 7 - Updated

The House Finance Committee endorsed and advanced the racetrack table games bill late this afternoon on a 16-9 vote.

If committee staff can prepare the latest version in time, it could be reported to the full House tomorrow for a floor vote Thursday.

House Finance retained all but one of the changes made by the House Judiciary Committee last week; Finance restored the provision that would require at least 5 percent of a county's voters to trigger a "recall" election.

Besides The Associated Press story on today's action, here's a glance with the bill's highlights as amended. MetroNews was also there, and offers audio as well. The Charleston Gazette has a story as well.

Today's vote in Finance went largely, but not entirely, along party lines.

GOP Delegates Ron Walters of Kanawha County and Allen Evans of Grant County sided with the majority.

Co-Chairman Brent Boggs of Braxton County and Delegates Tom Campbell of Greenbrier County, Richard Iaquinta of Harrison County and Doug Reynolds of Cabell County broke ranks with fellow Democrats.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln

House Minority Leader Tim Armstead continued the tradition today of marking Abraham Lincoln's birthday during the session, with a floor speech on its 198th anniversary.

The Kanawha County Republican offered our 16th president as a role model, an ordinary man who recognized that he could change things and who became an almost mythical figure as a result.

Armstead also recalled Lincoln's pivotal role in West Virginia' statehood, and read from the opinion Lincoln issued on our admission to the Union.

"We can scarcely dispense with the aid of West Virginia in this struggle; much less can we afford to have her against us, in Congress and in the field. Her brave and good men regard her admission into the Union as a matter of life and death..." it reads in part.

West Virginia has sought to honor Lincoln in several different ways, including with the statue at the South steps of the Capitol for which this blog is named.

The Legislature, Day 34 - Updated

PAY RAISES: House Speaker Rick Thompson and his team plan to begin work on pay raise measures this week, telling The Associated Press that they could start as early as Monday (The story is also here).

Thompson, D-Wayne, told the AP last week that he hope the House would prove more generous with wage hikes and extend them to more groups than what Gov. Joe Manchin has proposed.

UPDATE: The House Finance Committee plans to take up the already-amended racetrack table games bill this afternoon, leaving House Education to address the teacher pay raise bill Tuesday.

(MetroNews earlier underscored the position of Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin on the pending legislative pay raise measure, while previewing the teacher raise and table games bills.)

RETIREES: Retired public employees plan to rally at the Capitol on Monday in support of measures that would give them a break on their income taxes. Retirees have also voiced concerns over looming changes to their state-administered health insurance plan.

ATVs (Updated): The Legislature has begun considering several bills targeting perceived loopholes in the state's all-terrain vehicles law. The Register-Herald of Beckley presents the views of Delegate Margaret Staggers, D-Fayette, part of the freshman class of 2007 and one of the House's two physicians. The Daily Mail has also offered an overview of some of the session's ATV safety bills.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: New House Judiciary Chairwoman Carrie Webster earned some bipartisan applause during Friday's floor session. Committee members of both parties, including the minority chair, praised the Kanawha County Democrat for her handling of the lengthy, discussion-laden meeting that resulted in an amended table games bill advancing in the House.

OUSTED DELEGATE: Last week's vote to remove Ron Thompson from the House for refusing to take his oath made some major dailies, including the New York Times. It also received mention over the weekend in The Thicket, the blog of the National Conference of State Legislatures. I happily note that the item links to the AP's story.

NEW FEATURE: At a reader's request, I've added links atop the right hand column to the bills passed to date this session and the official summary that includes bills passed by each chamber that day.

A Record Verdict, Revisited

The Sunday Gazette-Mail offers perhaps the first detailed look at the $405 million verdict reached last month in a Roane County gas royalties dispute.

Gazette business writer Joe Morris talks to several people on each side of the case, and traces the lawsuit back to the suspicions of an 89-year-old retired teacher.

As I noted when the verdict was first announced, the damage award appears to be a record for a West Virginia court. The reverberations have rocked Gov. Joe Manchin and his "Open for Business" administration, as several state media have noted.

It has also prompted Chesapeake Energy Corp. to question its earlier plans to build a regional HQ in Charleston.

The Legislature, Day 31 - Updated

* I spoke with House Finance Chairman Harry Keith White, D-Mingo, as The Associated Press previews the next hurdle facing the racetrack table games bill, now that it has cleared the House Judiciary Committee.

(UPDATE: The amended bill no longer earmarks revenues specifically for deputy, police and firefighter pensions. It instead devotes shares to all 55 counties and 204 municipalities statewide, with larger percentages for the tracks' hosts. But Huntington city officials and others trying to tackle local pension shortfalls remain pessimistic about getting help this session, as Bryan Chambers reports in the Herald-Dispatch.)

I also note that the tracks are not happy with the bigger bite the state would take, while gambling opponents will try again to kill the bill. MetroNews also takes a look ahead, while providing audio from two of the sides in this debate.

* The Legislature has sent Gov. Joe Manchin a bill that would raise the age at which potential jurors can be excused, as the AP's Tom Breen reports.

* Breen also marks the Senate's passage of the so-called Castle Doctrine bill addressing lethal self-defense, while noting that some original supporters are not pleased with the current version.

* The AP also reviews a bill that would create a state pension program for public EMS workers.

* The Charleston Daily Mail highlights legislation that would allow the permanent tracking of certain sex offenders with GPS technology, among other measures.

* In the latest Wrap-Up newsletter, there is also an interesting story about the black lawmakers who have served in the Legislature.

Written by Deputy Director Drew Ross of the office of Reference & Information, the article answers some of the questions I had pondered earlier on the topic.

* Public Broadcasting reports on a stream protection bill and a critic of the measure with an alleged conflict of interest (audio link).

Ron Thompson - A Final Note

Media scrutiny in the Ron Thompson affair is turning toward who might succeed the ousted delegate in the 27th House District. The local Register-Herald of Beckley poses that question.

My earlier confusion resolved, I've looked at the 16 delegates who recorded nay votes on the Thompson resolution. Interestingly, 10 of them held major or minor leadership posts under former Speaker Bob Kiss. But 7 have leadership titles under Speaker Rick Thompson, and there is a pretty thorough overlap between the two groups.

Quote of the Day

"There are always things that come up that you would not reasonably anticipate... I think we've been dealing with them appropriately."

-- Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne, on his first 30 days as the leader of the House of Delegates.

Table Games Bill Wins A Hand - UPDATED

After at least three years of trying, a racetrack table games bill was endorsed late Thursday by the House Judiciary Committee.

But the 14-11 victory came at a cost to the tracks. The committee jacked up the proposed tax rate on gross proceeds from 24 percent to 35 percent. (I earlier noted that the tracks had hoped to start the haggling at 12 percent)

The committee also increased the annual license fees by a far greater margin: from $24,000 a year to $1.5 million for the initial license and $2.5 million for annual renewals.

The heavily amended bill, which advances to House Finance, also reconfigures the revenue distributions in several key ways. Besides The Associated Press story, I have a glance outlining the bill's current highlights.

Most of the changes stem from a wide-ranging amendment drafted by the committee's leadership. More than 30 additional amendments were proposed and debated over the course of nearly nine hours. A handful prevailed.

One of the failed amendments would have changed the "No" vote on the local option election ballots to "Heck No."

The Charleston Gazette also stuck around for the duration, as did MetroNews (with audio). Hoppy Kercheval also reflects on yesterday's scene at House Judiciary.

The Charleston Daily Mail, meanwhile, profiles West Virginia Racing Association John Cavacini, one of the bill's chief lobbyists (notice I didn't say point man).

The Legislature hits the midpoint - UPDATED

Though overshadowed by the Ron Thompson situation, Thursday also marked Day 30 of the 60-Day session.

I interviewed Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne and no relation, for The Associated Press' story on the session's halfway point. We also have a glance updating the status of major bills and issues.

The AP's Tom Breen examines legislation that would revive a program once considered an international model, one that trains and then licenses drivers who need high-powered lenses to see.

The Charleston Gazette reports on progress for a bill that would allow the public financing of election campaigns.

The Daily Mail hears from critics of a proposal to mandate HPV vaccinations for the state's 6th-grade girls. The AP's Breen looked at the issue earlier this session.

And MetroNews highlights the push for West Virginia to adopt a deposit bottle law.

UPDATED: Public Broadcasting offers a take on the Legislature's progress so far. And Sen. Mike Hall, R-Putnam, will be the guest on The Legislature Today for its phone-in show this evening. 1-800-672-9672

Ron Thompson is History - UPDATED (again)

The House of Delegates declared Ron Thompson's seat vacant on a voice vote.

It was not unanimous.

As I noted below, the authorities I consulted say Thompson is the first state legislator in West Virginia _ and perhaps the country _ to lose his seat for refusing to take his oath of office.

The Raleigh County Democrat did not appear for the 9 a.m. House Rules Committee meeting, or for the 11 a.m. floor session where the House approved the resolution.

SIXTEEN delegates recorded "nay" votes afterward. Some later said House leaders should have done more to understand Thompson's situation. Others believe press reports had fanned the flames and accelerated the process.

Thompson's continued absence had also become a distraction in the House and for fellow members of the 27th Delegate District. The district has four other delegates, whose efforts this session have been overshadowed by their no-show colleague.

One of the 27th's remaining members, Delegate Virginia Mahan, D-Summers, was among those recording a "nay" vote.

UPDATED: Ahem. It turns out I was correct the first time. All 16 names submitted after the vote count toward the official record.

In addition to Mahan, nay votes were recorded for: Amores, D-Kanawha; Andes, R-Putnam; Beach, D-Monongalia; Browning, D-Wyoming; Campbell, D-Greenbrier; Craig, D-Cabell; Ennis, D-Brooke; Hutchins, D-Ohio; Long, D-Mercer; Michael, D-Hardy; Pino, D-Fayette; and Varner, D-Marshall.

The additional delegates are Cann, D-Harrison; Kominar, D-Mingo; and Stalnaker, D-Lewis.

Ron Thompson is History?

Later today, Delegate Ron Thompson may become the first state legislator in West Virginia _ and perhaps the country _ to lose his seat for refusing to take his oath of office, according to the authorities I consulted for this morning's Associated Press story on the subject.

The Raleigh County delegate can still avoid making history by showing up for this morning's 9 a.m. House Rules Committee meeting, or for that matter the 11 a.m. floor session. The resolution declaring his seat vacant is on the session's schedule.

His continued absence has become a distraction in the House and for fellow members of the 27th Delegate District. The district has four other delegates, whose efforts this session have been overshadowed by their no-show colleague.

Thompson's hometown Register-Herald has coverage here and here this morning, while The Charleston Gazette and MetroNews also set the stage for today's possible action.

What's in a Slogan?

State senators continue to spar along party lines over the "Open for Business" slogan added to highway welcome signs by Gov. Joe Manchin.

The Charleston Gazette reports that a pending resolution that had championed the old mainstay "Wild, Wonderful" was replaced Wednesday with a measure commissioning an online poll.

Online polls are also known as voodoo polls. The Gazette's Tom Searls notes that Manchin has "commissioned" an online poll before, regarding the Capitol dome.

The Charleston Daily Mail has beaten Manchin to the punch, and is already offering a poll on the question.

Still no home for vet statue

Visitors to the West Virginia Capitol Complex appear quite fond of its Veterans' Memorial, with its rosters of the state's war dead etched solemnly in smooth black stone.

Equally popular are the memorial's four bronze statues, each representing a different branch of the military as well as a major conflict of the 20th Century.

Artist Joe Mullins sculpted those larger-than-lifesize figures, with a remarkable eye for detail: there's the gear carried by the World War I "doughboy," for instance, or the flight suit of the Korean War U.S. Air Force fighter pilot.

With similar care, Mullins has carved a fifth statue, to represent West Virginia's female veterans. But the statue remains in a sort of limbo. The apparent reason: the figure is wearing pants instead of a skirt, and some female veterans object.

Public Broadcasting's Scott Finn has a story on the impasse today. The link includes audio from his report, and a link to more info about Mullins and the memorial.

The Legislature, Day 28

Half the session will be over tomorrow, and here are some recent highlights:

* MINE SAFETY. The Associated Press tracks Gov. Joe Manchin's mine safety bill as it advances from the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Charleston Gazette and MetroNews also have stories.

* DRUGS. The Charleston Daily Mail focuses on a bill targeting products that help people mask drug use when tested. Supporters consider it a workplace safety measure.

* TABLE GAMES. The Daily Mail also examines a provision of the racetrack table games bill that would allow the tracks to serve alcohol at all hours, if and when they become full-blown casinos. The AP earlier covered this week's anti-gambling rally at the Capitol, and the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington, MetroNews and the Gazette also have stories.

No-show delegate asks for more time, again

MIA Delegate Ron Thompson, D-Raleigh, apparently faxed a letter to the House speaker this morning, asking to be given until March 1 (when the 60-day session hits Day 51) to return to the Legislature.

The speaker and the rest of the House Rules Committee instead invited Thompson to their Thursday morning meeting, before the full House is expected to take up the resolution that would declare his seat vacant.

UPDATE: Here's a more detailed story, and I plan to have a Thursday article providing some historical and national context.

Quote of the Day

"I still hope he comes and serves."

-- House Speaker Rick Thompson, D-Wayne, after launching a resolution that would oust no-show Delegate Ron Thompson, D-Raleigh and no relation, from the Legislature. The House is not expected to take up the resolution until Thursday.

The Legislature, Day 28 - Updated

Amid the buzz surrounding MIA Delegate Ron Thompson, the 2007 legislative session continues.

The Associated Press covered today's rally against the pending racetrack table games bill. About 50 people showed up for the event, compared to the hundreds who gathered last week in support of the measure. The respective turnouts may not indicate the bill's fate, however. MetroNews also has a story, with audio.

Both AP and the Charleston Daily Mail examine efforts targeting the hiring of illegal workers.

And the AP and The Charleston Gazette each relays a request from the State Police for help with protecting children from sexual predators prowling the Internet.

(Anybody else see a pattern here...?)

UPDATE: The AP's Tom Breen explores Gov. Joe Manchin's $4.5 million plan to expand the ranks of public defenders, as a cheaper alternative to private lawyers appointed by the courts to represent the poor in criminal cases.

Missing in Action III

The leaders of the House of Delegates who make up its Rules Committee took the action alluded to earlier and today endorsed a resolution to declare as vacant the seat of no-show Delegate Ron Thompson.

The resolution will be introduced on the House floor tomorrow, with a vote by members as early as Thursday.

As I and others have noted, this is a precedent-setting episode for the West Virginia Legislature. I hope to provide some historical and national context in my ensuing coverage.

The Legislature: Pay Raises

Though Gov. Joe Manchin's teacher pay raise proposal finally reached the Legislature last week, lawmakers continue to ponder alternative bills as well as salary hikes sought by other groups.

These other groups include themselves. The Charleston Daily Mail assesses the impact of a legislative pay raise on the state's main public pension fund.

Teachers groups, meanwhile, are challenging the statistics blitz launched by Team Manchin last week to boost its legislation over the competing bills, as the Register-Herald of Beckley reports.

Corrections officers saw a pay raise bill benefiting them advance in the Senate last week, as The Charleston Gazette relates. Manchin has included money for a $1,000 raise for corrections in his budget, rather than proposing a pay hike bill.

W.Va. Turnpike, agency in spotlight this week

The Legislature (and the public) went Bakersfield Chimp on the West Virginia Turnpike's parent agency last year, after its ill-fated attempt to raise toll rates. Lawmakers repealed their earlier mandate for the so-called Shady Spring interchange, while essentially taking over the authority's bond-issuing powers.

The backlash continues this session, with a proposal to tighten the Legislature's leash on the authority while setting the stage for the Division of Highways to take over the toll road.

In The Associated Press story above (also found here), I note that lawmakers could be hearing more about turnpike operations this week. Gov. Joe Manchin expects a report this week on an in-depth study of the authority from the national consulting firm he's hired to aid his administration.

The authority began this session on poor footing after a legislative audit detailed the financial shortcomings of its Tamarack center.

The Register-Herald of Beckley also has a story.

The Legislature: Roll Out the Barrel

The House and Senate have yet to replace the fabled Budget Digest, which "recommended" millions of dollars worth of spending on hundreds of projects and causes each year. Lawmakers opted to junk this vehicle in 2006 to avoid a lawsuit challenging their spending priorities.

Critics considered it a form of political pork, though supporters argued it lacked the force of law and earmarked but a fraction of the state's general revenue and lottery-funded budgets.

Another sort of pork-barrel politicking could be on the chopping block this session: the grants that public officials pass out, in front of crowds and cameras, around election time. The Associated Press' Tom Breen reports on legislation that would ban that practice.

Missing in Action II: The Showdown

Long-absent Delegate Ron Thompson missed his own deadline for returning to the House on Monday, renewing the pressure on leadership to act.

Unable to find a previous example of such conduct, House officials will create precedent in their handling of Thompson's case and so have treaded carefully. But the House speaker concluded earlier that a continued failure to appear would amount to a refusal to take the oath of office. The state constitution requires a lawmaker to forfeit his seat for such a refusal.

Though Thompson has alleged he is seeking treatment for a medical condition, he also told the speaker last month that he wanted to continue serving in the House and planned to return by Feb. 5.

The press staked out his desk in the Chamber, his legislative office and even the House Clerk's office waiting for him to show up. They included Thompson's hometown Register-Herald of Beckley, The Charleston Gazette, and MetroNews.

Previous posts on the elusive Delegate Thompson are here, here and here.

The Legislature, Day 27

The 2007 session hits its midpoint on Thursday, and various topics are jockeying for the attention of lawmakers as crunch time approaches:

* As noted below, The Associated Press reports on several health care-related issues: the future of AccessWV and anti-obesity efforts from the Public Employees Insurance Agency.

* The Charleston Gazette's Phil Kabler links the fate of the more robust teacher pay raise proposals to the recent teacher pension merger ruling. The AP offers the latest on options facing lawmakers and state officials in the ruling's wake.

* Kabler also offers some interesting statistics from the state's Problem Gamblers Help Network (2nd item in his column), within the context of the ongoing table games debate.

* MetroNews looks at a bill that would require the governor to fill a judicial vacancy within 90 days, spurred by the lag time in appointing a new circuit judge for Wood County,.

* Public Broadcasting will interview Supreme Court Chief Justice Robin Davis this evening on The Legislature Today. Davis continues to pursue "Year of the Child" initiatives begun last year, while studies commissioned by the state's highest court recommend additional circuit and family court judges.

Quote of the Day

"I can honestly tell you I am not in any way, shape or form pursuing that whatsoever... You never know what will happen, but I can tell you that with the job I have right now, there's so much still we have left to do in West Virginia."

-- Gov. Joe Manchin, responding to questions from Marshall University students about whether he may become a running mate to a 2008 presidential candidate, according to The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington.

A Mighty Wind

Following up on his "Declaration of Energy Independence," Gov. Joe Manchin has proposed legislation addressing West Virginia's emerging wind power industry.

The Register-Herald of Beckley touches on that proposal while reporting on a Senate bill that would govern how and where the mammoth wind turbines would be located.

Renewable energy is also the topic of a recent article from The Parsons Advocate, offered as an Associated Press Exchange feature. The author, Chris Stadelman, is a veteran business writer who also took a turn at AP before settling in as the gentleman publisher of a country newspaper.

The Sunday Gazette-Mail, meanwhile, reports on how a Houston oil heir now has also become West Virginia's biggest coal owner.

Montani Saepe Aegeri

With Monday marking Rural Health Day at the Legislature, and Wednesday designated Public Health Day, the well-being of West Virginians comes into focus this week.

The Associated Press' Tom Breen ponders the future of AccessWV, the state-managed health insurance fund of last resort for residents otherwise unable to get coverage. A majority of states offer high-risk pools, though West Virginia's _ which does NOT cover enrollees with tax dollars _ is facing a funding crisis.

The AP's April Vitello continues coverage of one of the Mountain State's biggest health care problems: obesity. Vitello reports on programs pursued by the Public Employees Insurance Agency and like Breen, offers a national perspective as well.

Bright Shiny Objects

That's what Statehouse veterans call a peculiar strain of legislation that captivates lawmakers well beyond the scope of its potential impact.

Oftentimes, the bill is not on any agenda but somehow still manages to grab a higher profile than measures that are. Critics may consider them distractions, but they can end up changing the dynamic of a session.

Sometimes, they expose West Virginia to ridicule, regardless of their merits. An example; 1998's "Road Kill Bill," which proposed allowing motorists to keep wildlife felled by vehicles. It is now the law. Don Imus, among others, had a field day.

This session's Bright Shiny Object is the resolution urging Gov. Joe Manchin to change the greeting on state welcome signs from "Open for Business" to "Wild, Wonderful."

As I noted when The Associated Press reported on this last week, "Wild, Wonderful" has not been on highway welcome signs since the administration of Gov. Gaston Caperton (1989-1997).

Caperton had pushed to adopt a new slogan, "A Welcome Change," starting with the state license plate. The public was about as thrilled at that as they seem to be by "Open for Business."

Drawn from his 2004 campaign for governor, Manchin proposed it as a welcome slogan the following year. He then unveiled a revamped highway sign during his 2006 State of the State address.

Manchin's new signs were added to 114 crossings along major highways, according to state officials. These officials note that Caperton's successor, Gov. Cecil Underwood, restored "Wild, Wonderful" at about 80 other, minor border crossings.

All 11 Senate Republicans have co-sponsored the pending resolution. Democrats have proposed polling state residents on the topic. The resolution's supporters cite an online petition begun last year that targets "Open for Business," calling it "ridiculous."

The petition received some press in October, when it attracted 25,000 names within about a month. It has added nearly 4,000 more since then (it does contain duplicates). Both the petition and the resolution sum up the supporters' sentiments.

Team Manchin will likely respond as they have to other recent challenges: by pointing to the results of the November elections and the 83 percent approval rating the governor enjoyed among voters.

Other reports on the slogan slugout can be found here and here.

Gov. Manchin Gets Some Mail

The state's environmental community is claiming a minor victory of sorts this weekend in their ongoing quest to have Raleigh County's Marsh Fork Elementary School relocated away from a coal processing facility.

Activists converged on Gov. Joe Manchin after he spoke at a South Charleston Chamber of Commerce event, to hand him hundreds of letters from schoolchildren enlisted worldwide to demand action over Marsh Fork. The activists also sported a large banner as they confronted the governor in front of the unsuspecting audience.

One of the groups involved, Coal River Mountain Watch, issued a press release on the Feb. 2 "surprise delivery." (There are also photos from it floating around cyberspace, and I'm looking for the link).

Oddly, the activists had boasted the previous day of giving Manchin the letters by hand. The Feb. 2 release and other Internet chatter about the stunt alleges the governor had "dodged" the attempted Feb. 1 delivery, perhaps by sending out an aide to the environmentalists.