Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signs SB469, providing a funding mechanism for West Virginia’s $5 billion OPEB debt. (Photo/Steven Allen Adams)
By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed a bill making West Virginia the first state to deal with its multi-billion dollar retiree health [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — A bill creating new standards for evaluating and mentoring teachers in West Virginia’s school systems is making its way through committees in the West Virginia Legislature
HB4236 and SB372 would expand a year-old pilot program requiring all 55 county school systems to evaluate their [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — A bill introduced nearly two weeks ago would close a loophole allowing retired state employees to return to work as contractors while still receiving pension check.
State Sen. Mike Green (D-Raleigh) introduced SB545 on Feb. 08. Green is the only sponsor for the bill, which would close [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin‘s substance abuse bill passed one committee today on the West Virginia Senate side, but still has two more committees to go through.
The Senate Health and Human Resources Committee passed SB437, Tomblin’s proposal that would create a regulatory framework in place to monitor [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — Teachers’ unions and other interest groups crammed into the office of the Senate Education Committee Chairman to hammer out language for a committee substitute to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s proposal for teacher evaluations and a mentoring program.
A Senate Education subcommittee chaired by state Sen. Richard Browning [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — An aide to the Governor since his rise from Senate President and Acting Governor is taking on the responsibilities of another state agency.
Jacqueline Proctor, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin‘s Communications Director, will serve as the Deputy Commissioner of the state Division of Tourism under Commerce Secretary Keith [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — If senators agree with changes to the legislation, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin can add finding funding for the state’s multi-billion dollar retiree health care debt to his list of successes since officially becoming Governor in November.
The West Virginia House of Delegates passed SB469, Gov. Tomblin’s proposal [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — Republicans in the West Virginia House of Delegates tried to amend Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin‘s legislation to pay down the state’s retiree health care debt after raising concerns about the bill’s specifics.
House Republicans offered five amendments to SB469, with all five failing. Two failed by voice [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — A bill making texting while driving a primary offense is now on its way to the West Virginia House of Delegates after passing the state Senate.
Senators passed SB211 unanimously today, after the penalties in the bill were changed. SB211 would make it a primary offense to [...]

By Steven Allen Adams | West Virginia Watchdog
CHARLESTON — Another week has gone by, inching us closer to the halfway mark of the West Virginia Legislature’s 2012 general session. Feb. 9 will be the 30 day mark of the 60-day session.
As of today 1,608 bills have been introduced between the House of Delegates and the [...]