……I have to applaud the Legislature for being forward thinking on two bills that were passed and signed into law by the Governor. West Virginia made national news Saturday for a bill that removed the “marital” exemption out of the statute which dealt with rape. Kudos to its sponsor Sen. Ryan Weld (R-1st), a former prosecutor, for removing any doubt that a woman has the right to say no whether married or separated.

……West Virginia is now one of 12 states in the United States that have banned smoking in a car with children. While smoking is a choice made by an adult who should recognize the health hazards that come with the habit, children riding in cars with those adults aren’t given a choice and yet incur the potential damage of second-hand smoke.

……..As we hear reports of measle outbreaks growing, the Governor has yet to take action on a bill which expand exemptions for vaccines required to enter school. Currently the West Virginia statute includes only a medical exemption, but the House bill expands exemptions to religious or parochial schools. Bishop Brennan of the Roman Catholic Church has already stated vaccines will still be required. The Governor has said the bill had yet to reach his desk and I’m sure the attorneys are going over it with a fine tooth comb.

………The legislature passed 123 House bills and 156 Senate bill this Session. After passage, all bill have to clear the final hurdle before they become law. The Governor has 15 days to either sign a bill, veto it or allow it to go into law without his signature. Prior to reaching the Governor’s desk, however, each one of those bills is gone over by the Governor’s attorneys checking for errors. Often a bill must be vetoed due to an error which may have occurred from the drafting stage or in the amendment stage. As an example, I once sponsored a bill to allow racetracks to export their signal (simulcast races). The bill was passed three times in three separate sessions, but had to be vetoed the first two times due to problems the attorneys discovered in the language. One of Mountaineer’s lobbyists, Wendel Turner, was working to get the bill passed and I began to refer to it as the “Wendel Turner employment bill”.

………If a mistake is found and the bill is a vital bill, the Governor will often call a brief special session during interim committee meetings to pass the corrected version.

I think the political signs came out even before the leaves on the trees this year. In the northern part of the county there is no prohibition on when they can go up. Weirton specifies 30 days before an election, but homeowners sometimes claim they can put them on their personal property whenever they like. I’ve always maintained that when they go up early they simply become part of the landscape. One which does catch the eye right now is black with reverse pink lettering. It reminds me of the breast cancer sign.

…….Signs don’t vote……at least that is what some people say. Some candidates carry signs with them when they go door to door and randomly ask the homeowner to put a sign in their yard. Some people have a difficult time saying no. I think that is becoming less the case. I think signs may be an indication of how the residents of that home will vote, however.

…….I won’t vote for a candidate who puts signs on State property. To me it’s a lazy way of getting the signs out and it’s against the law. Years ago the order used to come from on high at the State level and State road workers would do a sweep and remove all the signs. In the days of wooden signs (yes, I’m that old and I was in office long enough to see the transition from wood to plastic signs), that was a pretty expensive loss of lumber.

…….Do I believe in voting for a candidate based on gender? Nope. In 1976, when the Woman’s movement was gaining traction, the late Judith Herndon was the only woman in the Senate. For years in the Nineties when I served, Donna Boley was the only woman in the Senate. Change came slowly in West Virginia. But, I would never vote for a candidate just because she’s a woman and I never campaigned on that platform. The way to get more women in office, is to get more qualified women to file for office. I vote on qualifications and platforms. Those candidates in contested races will receive an e-mail or letter asking what qualifications and experience they would bring to the position, if elected.

……My Dad gave me some pretty good campaign advice before I ran for office. He said “You campaign on your strengths and not your opponent’s weakness.” Wish those running on the National ticket would take John D.’s advice.

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