West Virginia

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The West Virginia Project on Sunshine Review


The West Virginia Legislature is bicameral, consisting of the House of Delegates and the Senate. It is a citizen's legislature - legislative office is not a full-time occupation, but rather a part-time position. Consequently, the legislators often hold a full-time job in their community of residence.

Typically, the legislature is in session for 60 days between January and early April. During the remainder of the year, legislators gather periodically for 'special' sessions whenever the governor deems one or more issues of state government in need of timely action by the legislature.

Help to build a transparent and accountable government in West Virginia


West Virginia Breaking News...

Chafin examines FOIA response

April 21, 2009: "Senate Majority Leader H. Truman Chafin’s search for answers regarding federal dollars awarded to the West Virginia Turnpike has netted a 84-page response from the legal division of the state Division of Transportation.

However, with the exception of a two-page cover letter, the DOT’s official response to Chafin’s Freedom of Information Act filing is largely a myriad of charts, fact sheets and flow charts that may or may not answer Chafin’s questions." Read the full article here.

Concealed Guns, Not Records
April 8, 2009: "It is vital that some public documents be made available to the public and press, simply because the information in them is important. That is why West Virginia has a public records law, requiring that government officials make most documents available to anyone who asks for them.

A bill approved by the West Virginia state Senate would limit that access in an unacceptable manner. It is SB 378, a measure initially intended to improve cooperation between our state and others in regard to permits to carry concealed weapons." Read the full editorial here.

Agency needs more time to respond to Chafin’s FOIA request
March 27, 2009: "The West Virginia Department of Transportation left Senate Majority Leader H. Truman Chafin waiting for answers Friday to his questions concerning the West Virginia Turnpike.

Chafin, D-Mingo, filed a Freedom of Information Act request last week with the DOT after questions emerged over why state officials didn’t use more than $10 million in federal dollars awarded to the turnpike for turnpike repairs." Read the full article here.

WVa Supreme Court agrees to hear e-mail FOIA case
March 26, 2009: The West Virginia Supreme Court unanimously agreed Thursday to consider The Associated Press' appeal of a ruling on whether the justices' e-mails are subject to the state's Freedom of Information Act.

The AP is appealing a Kanawha County Circuit Court ruling that released just five of 13 e-mails between former Chief Justice Elliot "Spike" Maynard and Massey Energy Chief Executive Don Blankenship." Read the full article here.

...more West Virginia news

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Portions of this article were taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under the GNU license.