The 2010 Regular Session has ended and 121 Senate bills completed
legislative action. Immediately following adjournment
of the regular,
60-day session the legislature reconvened to commence the 2010 Extended
Budget Session to address the
budget bill.
My colleagues and I have a lot to be proud of this session; when all was
said and done, I believe there were many
good bills completed action and
the future for the state is bright. With that being said, I also believe
that there
is room for improvement. Without naming any bills
specifically, I think there were a few beneficial pieces of legislation
that
went unnoticed and the legislature should be prudent in the future
to consider such bills. These concerns remain with me
although session
has ended, but I try and celebrate my successes rather than count my
losses.
One of the many triumphs my district has seen in this session involves
the appropriation of coal severance taxes.
House Bill 4177 completed
legislative action on Saturday, March 13 and will secure five percent of
coal severance taxes
for the county of origin. This is a great success
for my southern counties that produce a lot of coal for West Virginia.
I
am appreciative of the work my legislative colleagues put into this
bill, because it is a much deserved change in
appropriations.
Another success that occurred this session came in the form of Drug
Diversion Bills. I personally worked on each one
of these bills, along
with a few colleagues, in order to ensure their success. I am confident
that the action the legislature
has taken during this session will aid
in fighting our issues with controlled substances in this state.
Senate Bill 81 will establish the West Virginia Official Prescription
Program Act. It will require all prescriptions
to be written on an
official tamper-proof prescription paper. Due to the nature of
prescription fraud, and the high
cost drug diversion creates annually,
this bill was drafted in hopes of cutting back on substance abuse and
increased
spending in the state.
Other bills that completed legislative action included Senate Bill 362,
Senate Bill 365 and Senate Bill 514. These
bills regulate databases of
controlled substances, increase penalties for providing false
information in order to receive
a controlled substance, and reporting
the distribution of a controlled substance by a pharmacy. With
provisions like
these I am positive that the issues West Virginia has
with drug diversion could slowly, but surely, decrease.
As a doctor I am always looking out for the health and wellness of
others, and as a legislator I am determined to
ensure the health and
wellness of others with political action. Again, I am pleased with the
support and action on behalf
of my fellow legislators in ensuring the
passage of these bills. It means a great deal to me as a doctor, a
Senator
and a West Virginian.
In dealing the present situation regarding the Budget Bill and looking
to the future of the state I am very aware
of the needs of my
constituents and of the residents of West Virginia. The state is taking
a budget cut of about four
percent - this is something we expected and I
think we should count our blessings. We are being prudent and spending
conservatively.
I am doing my best to make sure there will be no cuts for the health
care budget, especially to the Cardiac Project
or Rural Health. As we
all know, health care is a big deal on the local and national scale, so
I think it should be
a top priority when it comes to creating the final
budget.
We also need to be aware of the standing OPEB crisis. The situation with
Other Post Employment Benefits has been a
hot topic for the entire
60-day session, and there are no easy answers. There is a lot of money
to be paid, and I believe
the legislature is doing its best to secure
the funding. We are not out of the woods yet, but I have faith in my
colleagues
and myself to do all we can to remedy this problem.
I want to thank all of my constituents for supporting me through this
legislative session; it is a great honor to
serve you. I appreciate
everyone who visited the capitol, who came from all corners of the state
to present displays
and distribute information - these visits truly
highlight the beauty and family of West Virginia. I owe a special thanks
to
my colleagues who I have worked with for the past session, I could
not have succeeded in any piece of legislation without
their aid. I am
truly blessed for all of the people in my life who support me in
everything that I do, and I am grateful.
I thank you again for a wonderful 60-day session, I know I could not
have accomplished anything without you.
