Speaker Roger Hanshaw announces new House leadership, committee assignments

PRESS RELEASE:

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, today announced several leadership roles within the West Virginia House of Delegates and a change to the committee format for the upcoming 87th Legislature. 

Hanshaw, first elected to the House in 2014, is expected to be elected House Speaker for the fifth time when the House convenes for the 87th Legislature, on Wednesday.  

“Each of the ladies and gentlemen who will come to this building to take the oath of office will do so with the confidence of the 1.8 million West Virginians who are counting on us to chart a course of leadership and progress that will improve their daily lives,” Hanshaw said. “A new Legislature is an opportunity to adjust the foundation we have here to facilitate the work of the House, and we believe the lineup we’ve assembled will bring about new discussions, new approaches and new solutions.” 

Returning to the position of Majority Whip will be Delegate Marty Gearheart, R-Mercer. Delegate Matt Rohrbach, R-Cabell, will serve as Speaker Pro Tempore as well as continue to serve as Deputy Speaker, a role Delegate David Kelly, R-Tyler, will take on as well.  

Delegate Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, will serve as House Majority Leader. Several members will serve as Assistant Majority Leaders: Delegates Tom Clark, R-Webster; David Green, R-McDowell; Keith Marple, R-Harrison; Delegate-elect Dave McCormick, R-Monongalia; Erica Moore, R-Roane; Mickey Petitto, R-Harrison; and Elliott Pritt, R-Fayette.  

Gearheart will be aided in his role with several Assistant Majority Whips: Delegates Jim Butler, R-Mason; Jordan Bridges, R-Logan; Eric Brooks, R-Raleigh; Dave Foggin, R-Wood; Delegate-elect Sarah Drennan, R-Putnam; and Bill Ridenour, R-Jefferson. 

The Conference Chairman role will be filled by Delegate Mike Hornby, R-Berkeley, who will help facilitate majority caucus meetings and policy discussions among Republican members. Delegates John Paul Hott, R-Grant, and Doug Smith, R-Mercer, will return to their roles as Conference Vice Chairmen. 

“In addition to a strong blend of new and established leadership, I’m excited to implement a new format for our committee work here in the House,” Hanshaw said. “For far too long, the success rate of a legislative session has been measured by the number of bills passed, and that’s just not the appropriate assessment for what should be a focus on problem-solving. 

“We’ve seen that the low-hanging fruits, such as the elimination of the food tax and creation of an Intermediate Court of Appeals, have already been picked after 10 years of a Republican majority. What’s left are the complex, complicated issues that will require a different approach to lawmaking.” 

The House will have six standing committees: Health and Human Resources, Energy and Public Works, Finance, Government Organization, Education and Judiciary. The Standing Committee on Finance will have four subcommittees and all other standing committees each will have three subcommittees. The committee process also will see changes. 

The Speaker will refer each introduced bill to a standing committee or a subcommittee, and similar to the floor session’s three-day process, a bill going through the committee process may cover three days: Introduction, with agency reviews and comments from the public on day one, markups to the bill on day two and committee votes on day three. Both the subcommittees and standing committees will follow this process. 

“Not only did we want to build in specific and predictable steps with appropriate timing for the committee process, but we also wanted to better execute our oversight role,” Hanshaw said. “Not every problem is solved by enacting a new law, and we think regular discussions with Executive Branch agencies will give all of us a better understanding of the challenges, successes and resources out there in every corner of our state.” 

87th W.Va. Legislature House Committee Leadership:

• Standing Committee on Finance: Chair Vernon Criss, R-Wood. Vice Chair Clay Riley, R-Harrison.
• Subcommittee on Revenue: Chair Marty Gearheart, R-Mercer. Vice Chair Chuck Horst, R-Berkeley.
• Banking and Insurance Subcommittee: Chair Trenton Barnhart, R-Pleasants. Vice Chair Walter Hall, R-Kanawha.
• Investments Subcommittee: Chair Jarred Cannon, R-Putnam. Vice Chair Ray Canterbury, R-Greenbrier.
• Appropriations Subcommittee: Chair Paul Hott, R-Grant. Vice Chair Roy Cooper, R-Summers.
• Standing Committee on the Judiciary: Chair Brandon Steele, R-Raleigh. Vice Chair JB Akers, R-Kanawha.
• Courts Subcommittee: Chair Phil Mallow, R-Marion. Vice Chair Andy Shamblin, R-Kanawha.
• Homeland Security Subcommittee: Chair Buck Jennings, R-Preston. Vice Chair Bryan Ward, R-Hardy.
• Legal Services Committee: Chair Laura Kimble, R-Harrison. Vice Chair Hosh Holstein, R-Boone.
• Standing Committee on Health and Human Resources: Chair Evan Worrell, R-Cabell. Vice Chair Michael Hite, R-Berkeley.
• Public Health Subcommittee: Chair Scot Heckert, R-Wood. Vice Chair Geno Chiarelli, R-Monongalia.
• Human Services Subcommittee: Chair Adam Burkhammer, R-Lewis. Vice Chair Margitta Mazzocchi, R-Logan.
• Health Care Regulation Subcommittee: Chair Dean Jeffries, R-Kanawha. Vice Chair Adam Vance, R-Wyoming.
• Standing Committee on Government Organization: Chair Chris Phillips, R-Barbour. Vice Chair Doug Smith, R-Mercer.
• Subcommittee on Government Administration: Chair Jonathan Pinson, R-Mason. Vice Chair Mark Dean, R-Mingo.
• Subcommittee on Local Government: Chair Dana Ferrell, R-Kanawha. Vice Chair Mike DeVault, R-Marion.
• Agriculture, Commerce and Tourism Subcommittee: Chair Wayne Clark, R-Jefferson. Vice Chair Patrick Lucas, R-Cabell.
• Standing Committee on Education: Chair Joe Ellington, R-Mercer. Vice Chair Joe Statler, R-Monongalia.
• Subcommittee on Public Education: Chris Toney, R-Raleigh. Vice Chair Jeff Campbell, R-Greenbrier.
• Higher Education Subcommittee: Lori Dittman, R-Braxton. Vice Chair Jimmy Willis, R-Brooke.
• Educational Choice Subcommittee: Chair Kathie Hess-Crouse, R-Putnam. Vice Chair Mike Hornby, R-Berkeley.
• Standing Committee on Energy and Public Works: Chair Bill Anderson, R-Wood. Vice Chair Mark Zatezalo, R-Hancock.
• Energy and Manufacturing Subcommittee: Chair Bob Fehrenbacher, R-Wood. Vice Chair George Street, R-Preston.
• Economic Development Subcommittee: Gary Howell, R-Mineral. Vice Chair Jordan Maynor, R-Raleigh.
• Environment Infrastructure Subcommittee: Chair Daniel Linville, R-Cabell. Vice Chair Rick Hillenbrand, R-Hampshire.

“We know this will be a big adjustment for a lot of us, especially our staff and the public, but we are optimistic about this approach, which we think will be easier to follow and will lead to a more solution-oriented approach to lawmaking,” Hanshaw said.