CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The 2020 regular legislative session gets underway on Wednesday and Kanawha County lawmakers are ready to go.
Kanawha Delegate Moore Capito (R-35), the Vice Chairman of Judiciary Committee appeared on 580-LIVE with Jeff Jenkins Wednesday morning and said the docket is full and ready to be worked on in his committee.
“The good news is that we have a good opportunity to review the bills early and set the agenda early,” Capito said. “It’s fluid to the extent that we need to adjust and prioritize accordingly, but I think we have a good plan to kick things off.”
Capito is becoming a veteran lawmaker who has plans to be there for a while but there are Kanawha County legislators who are seeing their very first and very last sessions begin.
Senator Corey Palumbo (D-Kanawha), the Minority Whip is leaving the chamber after working there since the early 2000s. He said on 580-LIVE that while he is not sure about what Gov. Jim Justice will say in his State of the State Address Wednesday night, he is confident heading into his final session.
“I heard some comments from the Speaker (Hanshaw) and the President of the Senate (Carmichael) about what they plan to do,” Palumbo said. “Some of the things sound like good ideas so hopefully we can work together and do some decent things this year.”
Kanawha Delegate Kevan Bartlett (R-30) is entertaining his first lawmaking session and said he has been appointed to a few committees such as children and families along with education.
“I’ve been to the Capitol as a pastor different times and I know my way around a little bit,” Bartlett said. “I have learned so much more from being up here regularly. I deliberately take different routes to go places so I can see different things.”
Barlett said he appreciates being put on those committees because they will work on hot button issues such as the foster care system and school absences.
Palumbo said plenty of things were worked on last regular session on children in the foster care system and they need to bring that momentum into 2020.
“We need to keep looking at it and seeing what is working with that, what is not working with that and make adjustments where needed,” he said. “It’s a tremendous need for the state to make sure that these kids are taken care of.”
The session officially gets underway at noon before Justice’s speech at 7 p.m.
“It’s always captivating,” Capito said of the governor’s speech. “I will give the governor credit for that, that he is a big thinker and has big ideas. I think our job in the legislature is that some of those ideas are executed on.”