Immediately after adjourning sine die this afternoon, the Legislature, pursuant to executive proclamation, met to begin the First Extraordinary Session of 2008.
The Senate will stand in recess until 6:00 p.m.
House Passes Budget Bill
The House reconvened this afternoon to adopt and pass the conference committee report for the budget bill.
The House also took up one more veto message for Senate Bill 736. After receiving the Senate message concerning this bill the House accepted and repassed the measure.
After a recess, the House adjourned sine die.
Senate Passes Budget, Receives Veto Messages
The Senate met this afternoon to adopt and pass the conference committee report for the budget bill.
The Senate received a veto message for Senate Bill 736. After amending the bill’s title to match the text, the bill was repassed. The Senate also repassed three House bills that had been amended by the House after being vetoed.
After a recess, the Senate adjourned sine die.
House Meets to Address Veto Messages
The House of Delegates briefly met this afternoon and took up three House bills which were vetoed by the Governor. The bills were amended to satisfy the concerns of the Governor and were repassed by the House. The three bills were House Bill 4016, House Bill 4017, and House Bill 4420.
The House is in recess until 3:00 p.m.
Lawmakers Receive Final Budget Proposal
The Senate and House met as work was finalized on the budget bill. Members were provided with copies of the proposed final version of the budget, which will be voted on tomorrow.
The House and Senate will reconvene tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Budget Session Extended Until Sunday
The House and Senate met this afternoon and received an executive proclamation extending the budget session until Sunday, March 16.
The House and Senate will reconvene tomorrow at 11 a.m.
The Budget Conference Committee will meet today at 5:45 p.m. in 451M.
House Meets as Budget Session Continues
The House met this afternoon as work on the Budget Bill continued.
The House will reconvene tomorrow at 4 p.m.
The Budget Conference Committee will meet today at 4:30 p.m. in 451M
Adaptation of “West Virginia Shawl” Adopted as Official State Tartan
On March 6, the Legislature adopted House Concurrent Resolution 29, designating an adaptation of the “West Virginia Shawl” as the official state tartan.
Many Americans can claim Celtic roots, and, as a result, more than 20 other states have adopted official state tartans. According to the resolution, a majority of West Virginia’s earliest settlers were of Celtic descent.
The pattern for the tartan is based on a previously undiscovered “West Virginia Shawl” found at the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Barboursville. The official state tartan is based on this design and contains the following colors, each one representing a different aspect of the state:
– Scarlet for the state bird, the cardinal
– Yellow for the fall colors
– Blue for the rivers and lakes
– Black for the official state animal, the black bear, and the state’s oil and coal resources
– Green for the state flower, the rhododendron, and the state’s meadows
– Azure for the sky
– White in order to include all the colors of the United States
Construction Taking Place at Veterans Memorial
One of the most popular features of the State Capitol Complex is the West Virginia Veterans Memorial, a two-story oval shaped monument honoring more than 10,000 West Virginians who made the ultimate sacrifice in defending our nation during 20th century conflicts.
Designed by P. Joseph Mullins, the memorial is composed of four limestone monoliths surrounded by a reflecting pool and the interior walls are faced in polished black granite etched with the names of the men and women who served in the four major branches of military service. Mullins also sculpted the four figures representing the four major 20th century battles, one figure for each branch of the military.
Construction is currently taking place at the Veterans Memorial to make corrections to names. One of the black granite panels that was damaged when a motorist drove their vehicle through the memorial last March is being replaced. The names that appeared on this panel will be etched on the new panel.
Senate Meets During 5th Day of Budget Session
The Senate met briefly this afternoon as work continues on the Budget Bill.
The Senate will reconvene tomorrow at 5:00 p.m.