The Good, the Bad and the Stupid 6

February 23, 2023

Good: SB 577 is the resurrected insulin copay cap. Last year’s iteration, HB 4252, passed both chambers, but the House didn’t concur with the Senate’s changes before the session ended, so the bill died. SB 577 might actually be improved: It limits the copay for insulin (even if the patient is on multiple types) to $35 per 30-day supply and to $100 for devices (even if the patient uses more than one kind of device) per 30-day supply. HB 4252 did not contain the language that covers multiple types of drugs and/or devices, which meant that patients would have paid $35 per type of ...

In an info vacuum, an oft-repeated rumor can be mistaken for truth

February 22, 2023

The announcement that North Elementary’s principal and vice principal have been put on leaves of absence came as a shock. A letter was sent to the North community last Tuesday, and The Dominion Post received a copy of the letter a couple days later. When our reporter reached out to Mon County Schools Superintendent Eddie Campbell Jr., he declined to say more than that there was “an incident” that “remains under investigation.” We respect that Campbell wishes to protect people’s privacy, and that he would like to do his due diligence in fully investigating whatever ...

Let them play: Find equitable alternative to House Bill 2820

February 21, 2023

We’ve made our stance clear on syphoning education funds from public schools and distributing them to private, parochial or charter schools or even individuals: You can’t expect the public education system to improve if it’s been drained of money and resources. However, when it comes to school athletics, we tend to err on the side of “let them play.” Which is why we firmly believe that nothing about HB 2820 — to allow Hope Scholarship students, as well as students in microschools or learning pods, to play on public school sports teams — makes sense. The Hope ...

Comparing tax cut fantasies to reality

February 18, 2023

Of the tax cut plans on the table, the one proposed by the Senate (SB 424) is by far the most reasonable. As we previously reported, the plan starts with a 15% decrease in personal income tax. In out years, a 105% improvement of sales tax revenue over the previous year would trigger additional income tax cuts. SB 424 also includes eliminating the “marriage penalty” when filing taxes in West Virginia (when filing jointly bumps a couple into a higher tax bracket than if they’d filed separately); a rebate for vehicle property tax; a homestead real property tax rebate for 90% to ...

The Good, the Bad and the Stupid 5

February 16, 2023

Good: SB 216, requiring all schools to instruct students on Holocaust, other genocides and financial literacy. This bill has passed the Senate and is being reviewed by the House Education Committee. We give two thumbs up for the requirement to teach financial literacy. Not everyone needs to know pre-calculus, but everyone should be able to balance a budget and understand how debt and taxes work. But back to genocide: Unfortunately, Holocaust denial is a real thing. It’s important our young people know what the Holocaust was and understand the myriad factors that led to millions ...

Why doesn’t Sen. Capito support more clean water?

February 14, 2023

We find it mind-boggling when West Virginia politicians — ones who have grown up here, not just swooped in to fill an elected office — don’t support clean water regulations. At the end of December, the Environmental Protection Agency released a new rule to redefine “waters of the United States” (referred to as WOTUS), which are protected through the Clean Water Act. This definition had been fairly consistent until 2015, but has been in flux ever since, largely due to court challenges and diametrically opposed presidencies. But the EPA finally settled on one that breaks ...