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Legislature comes to the Eastern Panhandle

By Delegate John Doyle - Report From the Legislature | Dec 2, 2022

The state Legislature held interim meetings at Cacapon State Park in Morgan County on Nov. 13, 14 and 15.

“Interim” refers to the interim period between regularly scheduled legislative sessions. Each regular session lasts for a 60-calendar-day period and runs from late winter to early spring. The time between those regular sessions is called the “interim.”

Interim meetings are held almost almost monthly between regular sessions, usually taking three days. They are normally held at the state capitol in Charleston.

For years, when the Democratic Party held the majority of both houses of the Legislature, the interims were taken “on the road” once or twice a year. They were held at various locations around the state, to get a closer look at regional problems. Around here we’ve had them in Berkeley Springs, Martinsburg and about 20 years ago in Shepherdstown. Those Shepherdstown interims were based at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC).

When the Republicans took over the majority in the state Senate and House of Delegates, they stopped the practice of having on-the-road interims. I never understood why, and I’m happy they resumed that practice this year. This past May, interims were held in Morgantown.

Don’t expect concrete results at interims. During them, neither the House nor the Senate meets as a body — only committees meet — and the committees are not permitted to pass bills. The committees are, for the most part, joint House-Senate committees. Their purpose is to study issues and possibly come up with recommended bills to be introduced at the beginning of the next regular session.

Only some of the interim committees meet during out-of-town interims. That’s because a lot of time is taken up with tours of various local activities. These November interims featured tours of Charles Town, Harpers Ferry, Martinsburg and Berkeley Springs, as well as tours of schools and businesses. I attended a meeting of the Joint Committee on Education that was held at a branch of Blue Ridge Community College in Berkeley Springs. Again, the purpose of going on the road is to learn about a region.

There was much discussion at this set of interim meetings about the possible leadership of the new Legislature when it convenes its regular session in January. Delegate Brandon Steele (R-Raleigh) has announced a challenge to Speaker Roger Hanshaw (R-Clay), and last week Senator Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson) abandoned a similar attempt to dislodge Senate President Craig Blair (R-Berkeley). Stay tuned.

Many of you know that, as of January, I will no longer be a member of the House of Delegates, having not chosen to run for re-election this year. The Shepherdstown Chronicle has graciously permitted me to continue this column on a monthly basis, but the word “Delegate” will, of course no longer be used.

At least for the first few monthly columns I will continue to focus on the Legislature, and give you my take on the debates taking place on some of the issues it’s facing. Toward the summer, I may begin to branch out onto other matters.

John Doyle is a delegate for the West Virginia District 67. He can be reached at johndoyle@wvhouse.gov.