As I take time to reflect on the 60 day regular session, I am left with a feeling of relief that it has finally come to an end.
As the dust settles, I can't help but feel that the state took a step backward during this session. The Republican leadership spearheaded a radical agenda that rolled back safety and environmental regulations, will likely cut wages when prevailing wage is reconfigured, and enacted a variety of legislation that makes it more difficult for individuals to sue businesses for personal or financial injury.
All this was done in the name of job creation with the logic being that without these regulations, businesses will be more likely to locate in West Virginia. Do we really want to attract the kind of businesses that have little regard for the safety of their workers, are reluctant to pay a competitive and fair wage and that don't make keeping a clean and safe environment a priority in the communities where they operate?
For a Republican leadership team that was supposedly pushing a jobs agenda, I found ironic that House leadership managed to kill an innovative economic development opportunity in the final days of session. Senate Bill 585 would have permitted ride-share services such as Uber to operate in the state. The bill was postponed indefinitely on March 13 after controversy stemming from a member of the House Judiciary's attempt to amend a passenger nondiscrimination policy for taxi and ride-share services to make it legal to refuse passengers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Attempts to discriminate against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens became an embarrassing theme of this session, with protections for them being taken out of at least three pieces of legislation. I have always worked tirelessly to protect the rights of all of our citizens and I will continue to work with my colleagues across the aisle to ensure that every single person in this state is protected from discrimination under the law.
I was pleased to see time run out on a pair of bills that would have allowed for the creation of charter schools in our state and the repeal of our Common Core standards. The session was chalked full of these teacher bashing bills that only serve to create a divide in our public education system. Time was needlessly wasted on these radical reform measures while we did nothing to invest in the quality teachers we have. I believe that the best way to give our public education system a boost is to make sure our current teachers and those graduating into the profession are paid on a level that is competitive to our border states. We have to make sure we attract the best and brightest educators.
Some good did come from this session. I am particularly proud of our passage of the Opioid Antagonist Act, which allows emergency responders, medical personnel, family and friends to administer naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and can save a person's life. A companion bill that creates the Alcohol and Drug Overdose Prevention and Clemency Act also completed legislation. This law will grant immunity for some minor drug charges to people who seek help for someone experiencing an overdose.
These bills represent true life saving measures that are very much needed in a state that struggles with drug addiction. We lead the country in drug overdose deaths and this is a significant measure towards saving lives and hopefully getting these addicts on the road to recovery.
While I was disappointed in the overall direction of the 2015 session, my opposition to the Republican's radical agenda and attack on our workers only stoked my passion to stand up and fight for the well being of all West Virginians, not just those with money, power or influence. We face many challenges in our state and the only way to solve them is to come together and make sure that our policies better the lives of the every day working West Virginian. I look forward to continuing to fight for our teachers, our blue collar workers, our miners and everyone that strives for a better life in our state.
If you would like to follow the daily action of the Legislature, visit the 82nd Legislature on the web at http://www.legis.state.wv.us/
I hear your voice and I encourage all of you, regardless of party or affiliation, to contact me with any concerns you have regarding issues facing our district or our state. You can write to me at: Jeffrey V. Kessler, State Senate, Room 257M, Bldg. 1, 1900 Kanawha Blvd. E. Charleston, WV 25305.
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