West Virginia’s House Democrats say Republicans continue to pass “harmful,” “meaningless” bills
By Autumn Shelton, RealWV
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia’s House Democrats held a press conference on Monday, where they asked Republicans to help pass bills that will benefit the state’s residents, not harm them.
House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, began the press conference by stating that Republicans are moving bills that will harm children – like allowing teachers to use corporal punishment, arming teachers in the classroom, and rolling back protections for childhood immunizations.
Additionally, Hornbuckle said that Republicans are passing bills that will allow teachers to inspect a child’s genitalia, referring to SB 456, which defines the terms male and female and the meaning of biological sex. The bill passed the Senate on March 3. On March 7, the bill passed the House with 87 yes votes.
“We had a bill – a governor’s bill – because they’re not worried about the economy or jobs, they’re worried about culture wars, they are fixated on biological sex,” Hornbuckle said of Republicans. “You saw the worst of the worst, and with the passage of that bill in the House, we saw put in code the ability to allow teachers to inspect your children’s genitals. It is absolutely absurd and now, more than ever, we need people to speak up and fight for what’s right in your state.”
Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia, added that some Republican bills are harmful, often “backed-up with bad data,” such as the number of measles cases in the nation, while other Republican bills are “meaningless.”
“We have a bill that was discussed in committee this week that reads that you can now ride a motorcycle while standing up,” Williams continued. “Well, that’s gonna bring the kids home from Charlotte isn’t it? An entire generation of people has left the state of West Virginia to go on to other opportunities, because there are none here. Maybe they’ll move back because they can finally take the ol’ Harley out and stand up on it and ride.”
Williams said this bill on motorcycle ridership, House Bill 4752, is “ridiculous.”
“While people sit around the dinner table looking at electric bills, that look more like what they used to take home in a month versus an electric bill, when we have coal mines that are shutting down because of saber rattling in Washington over tariffs, when we have an unelected bureaucrat who’s firing federal employees that administer services that our people depend on – these are the types of issues that we are worried about?” Williams asked. “West Virginia has bigger problems and bigger fish to fry.”
Williams said Democrats have put forth bills that will help people, and they are ready to get to work on them.
Del. Evan Hansen, D-Monongalia, said that voters should be able to decide on certain issues through ballot measures, like House Joint Resolution 25, which would give the voters of West Virginia the chance to amend the state’s Constitution “preserving the right to reproductive freedom with protections for health and safety.”
Additionally, Hansen said that bills, like the recently amended HB 2233 and SB 592, would allow chemical companies to “discharge more toxic pollution into West Virginia rivers and streams” and deregulate above ground storage tanks.
“The Legislature did a good thing about 10 years ago after the Freedom Industries leak when they passed the above ground storage tank act, but since the Republicans took over this last decade, they’re chipping away . . . at it,” Hansen said, mentioning the 2014 leak that contaminated drinking water for thousands of residents.
Hansen said the Legislature should be passing resolutions, as other states have done, like House Joint Resolution 17, a ballot measure which would add a Bill of Rights for pure drinking water, clean air and a healthy environment to the state Constitution.
“Maybe if we have this in our Bill of Rights in West Virginia, maybe chemical companies, like DuPont, wouldn’t be able to get the supermajority to change the laws so they can discharge more toxins. Maybe, in Southern West Virginia, where coal companies are causing pollution in people’s drinking water sources, maybe they wouldn’t be able to get away with that and not be held accountable,” Hansen said.
Lastly, Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha, said that March 10 was Black Policy Day at the Capitol, but it was “sad” to know that there are 88 voter suppression bills, including the restriction of ranked choice voting, which doesn’t happen in West Virginia, House Bill 2117, prohibiting the delivery of absentee ballots unless one has been requested from the county clerk, closing primary elections, and a bill seeking to make judicial elections partisan, making their way through the legislative process on such an important day.
“These are all issues, particularly on Black Policy Day, that just 50, 60 years ago when African-Americans in this country didn’t have full access to the ballot, it’s sad that today we have to go there,” Lewis said. “And, probably, the most egregious is HCR 74 . . . that would repeal the 17th Amendment and it would make the Legislature responsible for picking your Senators.”
House Minority Leader Hornbuckle concluded by stating that there are two tales in the Legislature – that of the Republicans, who are passing harmful bills – and the Democrats who are working on “measures to help people.”
“Make no bones about it, we are always going to strive in this caucus, while I’m here, to work in a bipartisan manner,” Hornbuckle said. “But, we’re also going to stand up for what’s right every single time.”
