This year’s legislative session many of our leaders showed where their loyalties lie. Time after time bills came up that had vast public opposition, only for the legislature to push them through because big money lobbyists rolled into their office with an argument that served special interests over the people.

It’s no secret that money plays a huge role in WV Politics. Look at the steam coal severance tax cut our legislature passed earlier this year. The coal companies pushing for those tax cuts were owned by some of the same men who contributed millions to the various campaigns and PACs that got our current leaders elected. It’s clear that their campaign contributions got them something in return.

Recently, members of the WV Legislature had a chance to help clean up West Virginia elections.  They took a vote on a bill amendment to shine light on who contributes “dark money” to groups that spend money on political ads, so that voters could actually know who’s trying to influence their votes and their elected representatives.

They voted it down.

What can we learn from this year’s legislative session? One important lesson is that when citizens band together in large numbers, descend on the Capitol, and make their voices heard directly by legislators, it can affect their votes. 

In our just completed legislative session, Bob Murray, owner of Murray Energy – a major coal producer in our state, cashed in on his generous campaign contributions with a $60 million tax break on West Virginia’s coal severance taxes. Not a bad return on a less than 2-million-dollar investment in our corrupt political system!

Is West Virginia about to be forced into a system that values profits over kids? That’s what happened in Pennsylvania.

By Always Free WV Advisory Committee Member, Kendra Fershee

I moved to West Virginia seven years ago, over the strenuous objections of pretty much everyone I know who has never lived in or visited West Virginia. I have to admit, the only things I’d ever heard about West Virginia -- news stories and bad jokes, mostly -- were pretty awful. But then I visited my future home for a job interview and I was struck, almost immediately, by how wrong that reputation is. It’s easy to see the beauty here, in the place and in the people. But perception is more important than reality, and the perception of West Virginia in other states is often about as bad as it gets. And after another round of horrible news stories coming out of Charleston last week, highlighting some West Virginians’ ignorant attacks on our Muslim neighbors, unfortunately, we’ve slipped farther from turning the tide on that reputation.

As 2019 legislative leaders consider reducing corporate taxes yet again, declining funding for colleges and universities has degraded our schools and led to declining student enrollment.

Lately, leadership at the legislature is ramming legislation down our throats without public input – for example, by bundling together the many provisions of the Education omnibus bill so individual pieces are difficult to debate.  Thank goodness for folks like Delegates Sean Hornbuckle and Amanda Estep-Burton who supported amendments forcing legislators to hear the voices of real working people.

When out-of-state lobbyists pushed West Virginia legislators to introduce legislation to tear apart WV public schools, our teachers and school personnel stood up for our kids once again by quickly calling for a strike to stop the damaging legislation. Fifty-four superintendents agreed with teachers that schools should close and students stay safely at home while teachers and service personnel expressed outrage toward the Omnibus Bill they believe will hurt WV schools and students.