W.Va. Legislature starts 2008 session tomorrow

by: Clem Guttata

Tue Jan 08, 2008 at 07:45:24 AM EST

Tax reform and teacher pay are hot issues. Worker's compensation will receive attention. Gov. Manchin says the recently privatized system deserves more time. He'll probably get his way, even as Brickstreet undergoes some much deserved scrutiny.

It should be noted that this year's legislative agenda is expected to be light. With Gov. Manchin and 100 legislators up for re-election, don't expect anything controversial to be decided. Merely balancing the budget will be work enough.

Here are a few odds and ends in the news. Click on the links for more details on lists of legislative priorities:

* In Mingo County, coal is always an issue. Says State Senator H. Truman Chafin, D-Mingo (emphasis mine):

"Coal and coal gasification will be a major issue this year," Chafin said. "We have a major plant coming into the district, but we have to be able to come up with a carbon sequestration plan. Producing gas from coal results in a lot of carbon dioxide, and we have to be able to deal with that byproduct."

* Besides teacher pay, another education-related topic on the horizon is a potential state-wide ban on unhealthy sodas and snacks in schools.

* The W.Va. GOP has a wish list long on tax cuts yet short on any suggestions for making up the resulting revenue short falls. I note with irony that the GOP also suggests -- now they're almost done replacing Dem judges with Republican ones -- we should elect judges on a non-partisan basis. Funny, that... it's like the pundit-class only calls for bi-partisanship after it looks like Democrats are going to have some real power, not during the years of highly partisan autocratic Bush rule.