CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s 2020 legislative session begins Wednesday with both chambers gaveling in and Gov. Jim Justice scheduled to lay out his policy agenda in his annual State of the State speech.
Lawmakers have been in Charleston this week for committee meetings, preparing bills and getting ready for the official start of the session.
Several proposals have been floated, including measures to create a state investment fund, change the state’s bail system and cut some taxes on manufacturing businesses. There is also a move to bar sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination when it comes to housing, employment and public spaces.
Last session, the statehouse saw teachers across the state protest a GOP-led move to create West Virginia’s first charter schools. The bill eventually passed in a special session in the summer.
