Laura Wakim Chapman is a constitutional lawyer and a mother of two young children. During her first term as state senator for District 1 (Hancock, Brooke, Ohio and the eastern part of Marshall counties), she has passed several measures to help with children’s issues, expand access to affordable healthcare, and lowering costs for the Northern Panhandle.She proudly voted for three income tax cuts, the car tax rebate, and the elimination of the Social Security tax. After working your entire life, Social Security is no longer taxed by the State of West Virginia! Laura worked to make it easier to obtain an occupational license so that more people can obtain high-paying careers. She proudly voted for several measures to make it easier to open a business in West Virginia, including one-stop permitting and reciprocal licensing. If a plumber in Alaska or a dentist in Idaho wishes to move to West Virginia, they can get licensed right away instead of waiting months to get to work!She worked diligently on expanding the scope of practice for those in the medical field to encourage medical providers to stay in the state. She also passed the Pharmacist Prescribing Authority Act that allows for testing of low-level treatable illnesses such as the flu and Covid, and receive treatment. She pushed for other measures that did not yet make it across the finish line, but intends to continue to work toward solutions.She originally ran on school security. She was a sponsor of the Guardian Act that allows for schools to hire and train retired law enforcement officers. She also amended age-appropriate instruction for sextortion, bullying, and human trafficking awareness. Sextortion is where a bad actor who poses as a love interest, usually from another country, solicits nude or explicit photographs from young boys. Once the photographs are sent, the bad actor then demands money or threatens to release the photographs. Unfortunately, it often results in the suicide of the young child. She also worked diligently on fixing foster care issues and passed transformational foster care reform. Still, more needs to be done.This past session, she carried the bill in the Senate to obtain the $8 million dollar loan for the Hancock County Schools. She fought tirelessly until the funds were obtained so that the innocent teachers, bus drivers, cooks, and staff can be paid. She will always fight for what is needed in the Northern Panhandle. We are no longer forgotten in Charleston.
