West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice appointed Republican Joshua Booth to fill the 19^th House District seat vacated by Derrick Evans.

This comes after Evans’s arrest in connection with the storming of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Justice chose Booth from a list of three candidates provided to him by Republican Party representatives.

However, the Wayne County Republican Executive Committee has filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the appointment.

According to the committee, Justice reportedly received two different lists of candidates.

The lawsuit argues state law requires Justice to choose a name from the original list submitted by the Wayne County Executive Committee, which did not include Booth.

In addition, the committee argues Justice should ignore the second list submitted by the chairman of the state Republican Party.

As a result, an expedited review by the West Virginia Supreme Court has been requested.

The Second Session of the 84th Legislature adjourned sine die on March 7 at noon after 60 days in session.

Legislators passed 74 bills, including the budget bill that was a priority for legislators and Gov. Jim Justice.

Lawmakers also passed House Bill 4092, which provided major changes to the state’s foster care system.

Gov. Jim Justice issued a proclamation calling for the West Virginia Legislature to convene in special session on Monday, November 18.

The session will coincide with regularly scheduled interim committee meetings.

The purpose of the special session is to consider three bills.

The first bill would amend the West Virginia Tourism Act to extend the availability of the Tourism Development Act Tax Credit Program and authorize the tourism office to participate in reviewing, processing, and approving applications.

The second bill would bring certain DUI expungement procedures into compliance with federal law.

The third bill relates to spending authority for debt service payments on roads to prosperity general obligation bonds for rounds two and three.

Also on the call is legislation to pay for the special session.

Interim meetings are already scheduled for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

The Senate adjourned on Monday, bringing an end to the special legislative session.

Gov. Jim Justice called the special session after legislators failed to agree on education proposals following a two-day teacher strike in February.

The Senate adjourned its half of the special session during its scheduled interim meetings.

The House adjourned it’s session about two months ago.

Gov. Jim Justice has appointed Trenton Barnhart to the vacant District 7 seat.

The seat became vacant when Del. Jason Harshbarger resigned to become Dominion Energy’s state policy director.

Gov. Justice made the selection from a list of three people submitted by the West Virginia Republican Party.

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.

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.

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.

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.