With just over a week remaining in the legislative session, everything is moving at a fast and furious pace. I will do my best to keep you updated as the session concludes.
DRUG CRISIS. No one person is currently in charge of the drug crisis. Isn’t that stunning? But it’s true. I asked Governor Justice and President Blair to work with me in putting one person in charge of the drug crisis. Both agreed we need one leader in charge of coordinating our substance use recovery programs. We have the highest overdose rate in the state, and the drug crisis costs us $11 billion annually. It costs nothing, as it simply elevates the head of the Office of Drug Control Policy to this new position which reports directly to the governor. The bill passed unanimously and heads to the House. I am very hopeful this laser-focus on the drug crisis will allow us to make progress.
“ANTI-RACISM” & “ANTI-STEREOTYPING” BILL. The Senate passed SB498, despite bipartisan opposition including my own. The bill sets parameters over what and how teachers at the elementary, middle, high, and college level can teach about historical events. They call it “anti-racism” and “anti-stereotyping.” That’s incredibly disingenuous. This bill is simply meant to divide us and provide campaign fodder. If they really cared about combating racism, they would pass the Crown Act. If they really cared about combating stereotypes, they would pass the Fairness Act. They refuse to do so. This bill will have the effect of stifling debate on sensitive subjects in the classroom. If we do not teach history in full, how will we ever learn from it?
UNBORN CHILD WITH DOWN SYNDROME ACT. SB468 provides that an abortion may not be performed if a child has down syndrome and other disabilities, except in the case of a medical emergency. I voted YES. A life is no less valuable with a different number of chromosomes. An earlier version of the bill went much further, requiring mothers to carry children to term even if life was not viable outside the womb; that would have been cruel. I worked with my colleagues to amend that out of the bill and focus it on children with disabilities.
AMUSEMENT TAX. The Senate passed a bill allowing counties to levy an amusement tax of up to 2% on any “recreation” activities. This would include all kinds of recreation like fairs, festivals, movies, bowling, golf, & more. I voted NO. With prices up for local residents and tourists wanting to visit our state, why would we want to tax people more?
NEW CASINOS. I also voted NO on a casino expansion bill. If it passes the House, it would allow existing casinos to open new satellite locations. The representatives from Charleston want to open a casino in the downtown mall, which is largely vacant today.
JAIL BILL SELECT COMMITTEE. As discussed in a previous column, President Blair is creating a Select Committee to study all the complexities of a very real problem facing our counties and state–the crippling costs of current incarceration rates. Our aim is to get all the stakeholders together working on a plan to reform our criminal justice and incarceration structures. It will be a heavy lift to find solutions, but I am very hopeful it can be done in the next few months.
RUSSIAN DIVESTMENT. We passed several bills to divest from Russia, Russian energy, and Russian liquor, for example. I proudly voted YES on all these bills. West Virginia stands with the people of Ukraine and their democracy.
TOWN HALL. Thank you to everyone who participated in my town hall this week! Great questions and conversation.
That’s the view from the back pew, where it is my privilege to serve you. Don’t hesitate to reach out in the next week as we vote on many important bills. I may not always be able to reply just due to time constraints, but your feedback is heard and appreciated. I’m here to serve you and your family!
Senator Stephen Baldwin is the Minority Leader and a local pastor. Reach him at 304-357-7959 or stephen.baldwin@wvsenate.gov. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram @BaldwinForWV.
