Gov. Jim Justice is adding an additional 12 bills for the Legislature to consider during the special session originally focusing on education.

Gov. Justice amended his original proclamation by adding 10 new supplemental appropriation bills.

One bill relates to the procurement of construction work performed as part of disaster mitigation or recovery originating from a declared state of emergency.

Additionally, another bill relates to the Ryan Brown Fund.

Members of the House of Delegates are scheduled to convene today to continue the special session on education.

Gov. Jim Justice amended his proclamation for the First Extraordinary Session of 2019, adding a bill relating to the West Virginia Business Ready Sites Program.

The special session was originally called to address improvements to public education and pay raises for school teachers.

The Senate has introduced the Student Success Act to address these issues.

The House is set to reconvene at 8:30 a.m. on June 17.

The Elections Commission adopted legislative rules to enforce the provisions in Senate Bill 622.

Provisions include increasing campaign contribution limits and disclosure requirements for PACs and independent expenditure groups.

The commission worked on language to better clarify what committees and organizations are required to file contribution and spending disclosures.

It was also determined the law applies to organizations whose major or primary purpose is to influence the outcome of elections by spending money to support or oppose particular candidates or issues.

However, the law does not apply to other ballot issues such as referenda on proposed constitutional amendments.

The legislative rules will need to be approved by the full Legislature as part of its rule-making review process.

The process must happen during the 2020 regular session for the changes to go into effect before the 2020 elections.

Gov. Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 622 on March 27, with an effective date of June 7.

The bill increases campaign contribution limits allowing $2,800 to candidates, $5,000 to political action committees (PACs), and $10,000 to party committees. The current limits for each category are set at $1,000.

PACs will also be required to electronically file all independent expenditure reports and financial statements.

The bill also requires federal PACs who spend money on state elections to file disclosures with the Office of Secretary of the State.

Gov. Jim Justice called the West Virginia Legislature to convene a special session to address improvements to public education and pay raises for school teachers.

Speaker Roger Hanshaw said the House would go through a feedback gathering process that could take a couple months or more, and that the special session would likely meet a couple days each month before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.

The regular session is scheduled to adjourn sine die on March 9.

State Senator Richard Ojeda introduced a bill that requires lobbyists to purchase and wear body-mounted cameras while at the Capitol.

Senate Bill 135 also prohibits lobbyists from making certain campaign contributions and places restrictions on lobbyists who are loitering in the Capitol.

The body-mounted camera video and audio recordings would be subject to inspection by the West Virginia Ethics Commission.

The House of Delegates voted to impeach all remaining four justices on the state Supreme Court of Appeals. Chief Justice Margaret Workman and Justices Allen Loughry, Robin Davis, and Elizabeth Walker will face an impeachment trial in the Senate.

The justices face articles of impeachment for corruption, maladministration, incompetency, neglect of duty, and other high offenses. The fifth justice, Menis Ketchum, resigned in July and avoided becoming a subject of the articles of impeachment.

If the remaining justices are found to have committed the impeachable offenses and removed from office, Gov. Justice will appoint interim justices and call for a special election in May 2020.

Secretary of State Warner announced the official registration dates for a special election to fill the seat vacated by former state Supreme Court Justice Menis Ketchum.

The special election will occur concurrently with the general election on November 6.

Ketchum recently agreed to plead guilty to a felony criminal count of wire fraud for using a vehicle and fuel card owned by the state for personal travel.

Ketchum resigned effective July 27 with two years left on his term.

Pictured: Former Supreme Court Justice Menis Ketchum

Gov. Jim Justice called a special session for June 26, 2018.

Lawmakers will convene to consider impeachment proceedings for state Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry.

A federal grand jury indicted Justice Loughry on charges including fraud, making false statements to investigators, and witness tampering.

Pictured: State Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry

The West Virginia Legislature adjourned a two-day special legislative session on May  21, 2018.

Lawmakers passed eight bills, including a bill creating the Department of Arts, Culture, and History.

Gov. Jim Justice signed a bill in March eliminating the Department of Education and the Arts.

Under the new bill, the commissioner of culture and history will become the curator of arts, culture, and history and report directly to the governor.

On May 18, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice issued a call for the West Virginia Legislature to meet in special session beginning at 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, 2018.

The special session will be held during the Legislature’s regularly scheduled interim meetings that also began Sunday. The governor’s call included eight bills for the Legislature to address.

Several are meant to clarify some pieces of recently-passed legislation while others are supplemental appropriations.

Gov. Jim Justice proposed calling a special legislative session to address the creation of a Department of Arts and Culture and History.

No date has been set, but the governor stated the special session would be sometime in May.

He made the announcement during a signing ceremony for legislation dissolving the Department of Education and the Arts.

The West Virginia Legislature adjourned sine die on March 10.

Senate Bill 283, which expands the scope of those who may be debarred for procurement violations and establishes direct-award procurement requirements, passed both chambers and is on the governor’s desk.

Gov. Jim Justice has 15 days to sign or veto the legislation.

On December 1, Gov. Jim Justice called a special session to convene on December 4 to consider legislation to authorize the sale of state road bonds.

The special session coincides with the Legislature’s monthly interim meetings scheduled to begin on December 3 and conclude on December 5.

Pictured: West Virginia Governor Jim Justice