David Walker (D-Clay)
House of Delegates
WV Legislature-District 33
The 2011 Legislative Interim Committees have begun with June 13 through the 15 initiating the start up. I am happy to begin our annual studies which occur on three days of each month until January of 2012. These meetings allow us to receive input from a variety of experts and material sources on issues we may take up during the regular 60-day session.
I have been appointed to serve as Vice-chairman of the Agriculture and Agri-business Committee and also will serve on the Education Committee as well as a subcommittee covering public education. My other committee assignments include studies regarding PEIA, Seniors and Long Term Care and Veterans.
Our June meetings were organizational in nature in which our study agendas were provided.
Our Agriculture Committee will be looking into workers compensation relative to agricultural workers. We will be studying the effects of the new Chesapeake Watershed environmental regulations passed this year (SB 245) on local food production. Our expanding deer population is also an issue which we must review since they do forage through fields and farms, not to mention their public safety intrusion on our roads and highways. And this committee will also do an overall review of West Virginia's poultry industry.
While the Education Committee meets at the close of each interim session, it sits to hear the work of the subcommittees. Subcommittee C, to which I am assigned, addresses the needs of public education. We initially will be studying methods of making WESTEST2 results count as part of students' grades and also will be reviewing the various learning disabilities that affect many students in West Virginia.
During our Senior, Long Term Care and PEIA meeting, our chairman stressed the need to do a complete review of in-home direct care workforce. It is imperative the state's in-home direct care workforce operates efficiently to improve the quality and quantity of available in-home direct care workers to ensure a trained and competent workforce exists to care for the state's growing aged population. Due to contributing factors such as job stress, lack of training, low wages and meager benefits, turnover rates for in-home direct care workers are high and costly and affect the overall consistency of support provided to older West Virginians. We plan to look at all areas of the in-home providers' services from the ranks to the top administrators. We can do better to keep West Virginians in their homes as long as possible.
That committee will also study the needs and challenges facing state residents who face Alzheimer's as well as investigate the possibility of creating an Elder and Vulnerable Adult Victims Trust Fund.
I am pleased once again to have a seat on the Veterans Committee. We will be looking into the needs, challenges and issues facing veterans returning from recent service, the recruitment, distribution and potential barriers of the U. S. Department of Defense's TRICARE healthcare system and on the feasibility of possibly providing tax relief for members of and spouses of members of the National Guard upon return from conflict.
If you should have any questions or comments regarding any issues or bills before the Legislature, please feel free to contact me. To write me, my address is Delegate David Walker, State Capitol, Building 1, Room 210-E, Charleston, WV 25305 or call me at (304) 340-3135. I encourage all my constituents to remain active and become part of the legislative process. | 
