Local News
Discharge motions stir controversy
CHARLESTON — House Speaker Rick Thompson suggested Wednesday that Republicans are jumping the gun in trying to dislodge bills through the discharge process since time remains for committees to work them.
“The timing is inappropriate,” Thompson, D-Wayne, said after two GOP discharge motions were dispatched a day earlier to the regular calendar, normally the graveyard this late in a session.
Friday is the last day either chamber can ship a bill out of committee, and March 3 is the final day for sending out bills in their house of origin.
Minority Leader Tim Armstead and Delegate Patrick Lane, both R-Kanawha, sought to dislodge the proposed higher homestead exemption amendment and the proposed one defining marriage as an act between one man and one woman.
“The committee process is part of the whole process,” Thompson said.
“Everybody wants transparency. They want plenty of time for committees to deal with bills. It is a complete process. And part of that process ensures we get three full readings. I want to make sure that they have plenty of time to work.”
A short time later, in the floor session, Delegate Tom Louisos, D-Fayette, tried in vain to extract a bill limiting state tax dollars used to finance abortions.
His motion met the same fate as the Republicans — a detour to the regular House calendar.
“We ought to be voting on these bills,” Louisos said as the floor session broke up.
Thompson said the House has run a number of bills sponsored by Republicans and Democrats alike.
“And we will continue to do that,” he said.
Armstead called the tactic of dishing discharge motions off to the inactive calendar “frustrating” and an insult to the voters who, according to informal polls, would easily pass all three.
“Now we’re blocking the effort to even getting to talk about bills,” the GOP leader said.
“I’m frustrated with it. I think these are issues that West Virginians feel very strongly about. When they watch this process in this session, they’ll be even more frustrated with how this Legislature and this leadership is handling these issues.”
The decision to toss the discharge motions to the regular calendar came in the Rules Committee strictly along party lines.
“They keep saying this is divisive, time-consuming,” Armstead said.
“We don’t see that at all. It’s part of the process, part of the rules. These discharges and discussion should be part of this legislative process.”
Except for Louisos’ abortion motion, the other two deal with constitutional issues the people could decide themselves, Armstead noted.
“We’re not just blocking the issue,” he said of the House.
“We’re blocking the right of the people to vote on these issues.”
Armstead said the leadership found time to send out a bill that juggles the election ballot so that Democratic candidates appear on the top.
“They want to talk about jobs,” he said.
“It seems to me the jobs they want to protect are their own.”
Armstead called the leadership’s action “almost a slap in the face” of West Virginians.
“If you don’t agree with a position, then get on the floor and say so, but don’t hide behind the committee process,” he said.
“They say you can’t do every bill. We’re not trying to do every bill. What we’re trying to do are things that people have strong feelings on.”
— E-mail:mannix@register-herald.com
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