That’s correct, baby! With the introduction of SB 264, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, took a break from carrying RFK, Jr.’s water bottle and workout towel to inflict the wrath of imitation righteousness on selected evildoers.
In case you missed it this week, SB 264 calls for the death penalty for anyone convicted of murdering a first responder. Stuart claims that $25 million is required to build a 75-person “death row” facility, implying that he intends to murder many individuals. To carry out these executions, the bill authorises both lethal injection and – drum roll please – firing squad!
Yes, we’re going to take down the bad guys in gangland style.
So let this warning ring out from the mountaintops and down to the hollers: if you murder a first responder in the Mountain State, West Virginia’s pro-life lawmakers will kill you! But what about the rest of the state’s murderers? You’re fine.
We are not concerned about children, the elderly, or anyone else for that matter. Apparently, we only become enraged when the victim is wearing a uniform.
When I first reported on a death penalty bill being introduced in West Virginia in January 2023, I was mocked for “writing about bills that weren’t going to go anywhere.”
And, while the bill was not taken up that year, I believe it is important for people to understand what their elected representatives are attempting to accomplish, whether they are successful or not. I spoke with then-Delegate Joey Garcia, D-Marion, who was opposed to the idea.
Reinstating the death penalty, according to Garcia, would add useless complication to an already inconsistent legal system, noting that “it does nothing to help public safety, which should be the main goal for any type of criminal justice system.”
Fast forward to January of last year, and SB 307 is introduced. This one also advocated for the death penalty for anyone convicted of first-degree murder, but without the first responder exception. However, Stuart introduced his plan last year, which focused solely on the murder of first responders. However, neither bill passed, as they did in 2023.
So, why has a bill to reinstate the death penalty in West Virginia gained traction this year and already passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee?
Simply put, former Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Trump left the State Senate to serve on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, and Mike Stuart now sits in his place, at least for a few days per month. Stuart, as committee chair, has the authority to prioritise his bill proposals.
While the new bill moved quickly through the Judiciary, one member, now-Senator Joey Garcia, expressed his opposition, calling the proposal “morally repugnant.”
“This is a bill that has been introduced for a long period of time,” Garcia told the audience. “Every year, this bill would come up, but I’d never seen it pass. I’m a little shocked.”
As surprised as Garcia may be, SB 264 is now in the hands of Finance Committee Chair Jason Barrett, R-Berkeley. It remains to be seen whether it will be on the committee’s agenda this week.
While he was in town, Stuart may have done some good by introducing a bill that could actually protect some children. SB 585, also known as the “Cohen Craddock Student Safety Act,” would require the wearing of “Guardian caps” during school-sponsored football practices.
“Guardian caps” are the odd-looking soft-shell things you sometimes see on the outside of football helmets. Kids will probably despise them because they are just more awkward, bulky padding to wear. However, parents will appreciate them because they can help protect their children from preventable brain injuries and a lifetime battle with post-concussion syndrome.
Way to go, Mike Stuart! (Man, it feels strange saying that).
In other Senate nonsense – excuse me, Senate news – SB 456 passed 32-1. And just what is SB 456? It ends the age-old debate between innies and outies by codifying the definitions of “man” and “woman.”
Unsurprisingly, Joey Garcia cast the only nay vote. What was surprising was that the Senate’s only other Democrat, Cabell County Minority Leader Mike Woelfel, voted in favour of the bill despite his party’s opposition. However, this is most likely due to his role as sponsor.
Woelfel appeared to engage in bizarre damage control on Thursday by releasing a statement to the media in which he addressed “the manner in which bills are introduced to the Senate,” as well as his “responsibility as Minority Leader to co-sponsor such legislation.”
Woelfel’s statement refers to the separation of powers outlined in West Virginia’s constitution and explains how the legislature has sole authority to introduce legislation.
He then claims that it is a “custom” and a “professional courtesy” for the leaders of both parties to jointly introduce legislation at the request of the governor, which appears to be a bipartisan violation of the constitution by allowing a non-legislator to introduce legislation.
Woelfel goes on to describe this action as “statesmanship” and “collegiality,” before directly addressing “those who are hurt and affected by the legislation that is being passed with my name but not my vote.”
“I hope you understand that these bills do not reflect my stance on the harmful policies they represent,” she says. “I believe the most effective way to change policy is through advocacy, organising, and electing more members to the Legislature who are devoted to solving the serious issues facing our state, not to wasting time on hurtful bills that only drive us further apart.”
The issue with Woelfel’s statement is that a legislative party leader’s sole responsibility is to their constituents. They are certainly not responsible for introducing legislation on behalf of someone who is constitutionally prohibited from doing so themselves. While this action may be considered a “custom” among legislators, it is certainly not a “professional courtesy.”
Consider this example.
Woelfel also delivered an impassioned floor speech on Thursday, accusing Gov. Patrick Morrisey and Senate Republicans of blocking Democratic legislative proposals, saying, “We’re not errand boys.” This statement appears to contradict his claims of “professional courtesy.”
But in terms of SB 456, I guess Woelfel doesn’t see it as “wasting time on hurtful bills that only drive us further apart,” because he both sponsored and voted for it. Hopefully, now that we know what girls and boys are, we can all get some better sleep tonight.
Now we can move on to Eric Tarr.Oh boy.
Tarr, R-Putnam, appears to have woken up Monday morning and suddenly remembered that he is both a member of the State Senate and the hero West Virginia needs.
His first brilliant idea is to display images of convicted drug dealers on billboards across West Virginia. Apparently, illegal drug sales are lower than expected, so we’ll use tax money to fund their advertising. But don’t worry, we’ll just increase taxes on things like Narcan to cover the costs.
I for one think this plan is fantastic. For starters, we’re going to kill off some addicts by raising the prices of items that could save their lives. Seriously, addicts are the 21st Century’s equivalent of three-fifths of a person, am I correct?
And once they’re gone, we help the dealers advertise so that a new generation of higher-income drug users can fill the void and know who to call. There is no way this plan will fail.
Oh, and Tarr also wants to limit primary elections to voters registered with a specific political party. Again, this man is brilliant! This way, the only people who can vote are those we know will support the candidates we’ve handpicked for the job.
There’s nothing more American than voting for the candidate you’re told to vote for.
These knuckleheads have another ten days to pitch their dystopian utopia ideas. Get your popcorn and Skittles (if the rainbow doesn’t bother you) ready. Something tells me the best is still to come.
