The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in the Senate as recently as 2015, Republicans now dominate in the chamber, and hold 31 seats to the Democrats' three seats.

Organization

Senators are elected for terms of four years that are staggered, meaning that only a portion of the 34 state senate seats are up every election.[1]

The state legislature meets on the second Wednesday of January each year and conducts a 60-day regular session.[1]

Legislative process

Unlike most state senates, the West Virginia Senate can introduce revenue bills.[1] Bills must undergo three readings in each house before being sent to the governor.[1] Bills are drafted by the Office of Legislative Services or legislative staff counsel, reviewed by the sponsor of the bill and submitted for introduction.[2] Bills are assigned to committees that make recommendations about a bill in the form of a committee report.[2]

Bills approved in both the West Virginia Senate and West Virginia House of Delegates are then submitted to the governor, who has the power to sign them into law or veto them.[1] The state legislature can override the veto, unless they have already adjourned.[1]

Districts

The state is divided into 17 districts, with each electing a senator for a four-year term every two years. Thus each district contains about 1/17th of the state's population, or about 105,000 persons.

The state's districting system is unique in the United States in that both senators from a district cannot be from the same county, no matter the population of the various parts of the district. This means, for example, that one of the 5th District's two senators must reside in Cabell County and the other must reside in the portion of Wayne County that is inside the 5th District, even though Cabell County has more people than the portion of Wayne County that is part of the 5th District. However, both senators are elected by everybody within the district, not just by the people of the county in which the senators reside.

Responding to the 2010 Census the Senate redistricted itself. Kanawha County was divided for the first time in the Senate's history, with the northern and western portions joining a part of Putnam County as the 8th District and the remainder of the county constituting the 17th district on its own. This reduced the number of Senators from Kanawha County from four to three, as one of the 8th's had to be a resident of Putnam.

Responding to the 2020 Census the Senate again redistricted itself. The Senate adopted a new map, again reflecting a shift of the population to the Morgantown area and the Eastern Panhandle. Ten counties, out of the 55, were divided between two different districts, and Kanawha County was divided between three different districts.[3]

Because senators are elected for four-year terms, the redistricting will not come fully into effect until after the 2024 election, as 17 senators were elected under the new map in 2022, while those elected in 2020 under the old map will continue to serve until 2024.

Senate president

Main article: President of the West Virginia Senate

The Senate elects its own president from its membership. Craig Blair is currently the president of the West Virginia Senate.

While the West Virginia Constitution does not create or even mention the title of lieutenant governor, West Virginia Code 6A-1-4 creates this designation for the Senate president, who stands first in the line of succession to the office of governor. As stated in Article 7 Section 16 of the constitution: "In case of the death, conviction or impeachment, failure to qualify, resignation, or other disability of the governor, the president of the Senate shall act as governor until the vacancy is filled, or the disability removed." However, the Senate President may not always serve the remainder of the term as the constitution also states: "Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the office of governor before the first three years of the term shall have expired, a new election for governor shall take place to fill the vacancy."

Current composition

Map of partisan composition of legislative districts for state senate after the 2022 elections:
  2 Democrats
  2 Republicans
  1 Democrat and 1 Republican

86th Legislature (2023–2024)

Main article: Political party strength in West Virginia
AffiliationParty
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
RepublicanDemocraticVacant
Beginning of the 82nd Legislature1816340
End of the 82nd Legislature
Beginning of the 83rd Legislature2212340
End of the 83rd Legislature
Beginning of the 84th Legislature2014340
End of the 84th Legislature
Beginning of the 85th Legislature2311340
End of the 85th Legislature
Beginning of the 86th Legislature304340
December 1, 2022[4]313
Latest voting share91.2%8.8%

Leadership of the 86th West Virginia Senate

PositionNamePartyDistrictCounty
Senate President/Lieutenant GovernorCraig BlairRepublican15thBerkeley
President pro temporeDonna BoleyRepublican3rdPleasants
Majority LeaderTom TakuboRepublican17thKanawha
Minority LeaderMike WoelfelDemocratic5thCabell
Majority WhipRyan WeldRepublican1stBrooke
Minority WhipRobert PlymaleDemocratic5thWayne

Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs

CommitteeChairVice Chair
Agriculture & Natural ResourcesBill HamiltonVince Deeds
Banking and InsuranceMike AzingerMike Oliverio
ConfirmationsDonna BoleyLaura Chapman
Economic DevelopmentGlenn JeffriesPatrick Martin
EducationAmy GradyCharles Clements
Energy, Industry, & MiningRandy SmithBen Queen
Enrolled BillsJack WoodrumRollan Roberts
FinanceEric TarrRupie Phillips
Government OrganizationJack WoodrumJason Barrett
Health & Human ResourcesMike MaroneyTom Takubo
JudiciaryCharles TrumpRyan Weld
MilitaryRyan WeldVince Deeds
Outdoor RecreationMark MaynardJay Taylor
PensionsEric NelsonMark Hunt
RulesCraig BlairTom Takubo
School ChoicePatricia RuckerMark Maynard
Transportation & InfrastructureCharles ClementsMike Stuart
WorkforceRollan RobertsGlenn Jeffries

Members of the 86th West Virginia Senate

DistrictUpSenatorPartySinceResidenceHome Cty.[a]Counties represented[5]
12026Laura ChapmanRepublican2022WheelingOhioBrooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio
2024Ryan WeldRepublican2016WellsburgBrooke
22026Charles H. ClementsRepublican2016New MartinsvilleWetzelDoddridge, Marion, Marshall, Monongalia, Wetzel, Tyler
2024Mike MaroneyRepublican2016Glen DaleMarshall
32026Mike AzingerRepublican2016ViennaWoodPleasants, Ritchie, Wirt, Wood
2024Donna BoleyRepublican1985St. MarysPleasants
42026Eric TarrRepublican2018Scott DepotPutnamCabell, Jackson, Mason, Putnam
2024Amy GradyRepublican2020LeonMason
52026Mike WoelfelDemocratic2014HuntingtonCabellCabell, Wayne
2024Robert H. PlymaleDemocratic1992CeredoWayne
62026Mark R. MaynardRepublican2014GenoaWayneMcDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wayne
2024Chandler SwopeRepublican2016BluefieldMercer
72026Mike StuartRepublican2022South CharlestonKanawhaBoone, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan
2024Rupie PhillipsRepublican2020LoradoLogan
82026Mark HuntRepublican2022CharlestonKanawhaClay, Jackson, Kanawha, Putnam, Roane
2024Glenn JeffriesRepublican2016Red HousePutnam
92026Rollan RobertsRepublican2018BeaverRaleighFayette, Raleigh, Wyoming
2024David StoverRepublican2020MabenWyoming
102026Vince DeedsRepublican2022RenickGreenbrierFayette, Greenbrier, Monroe, Nicholas, Summers
2024Jack WoodrumRepublican2020HintonSummers
112026Bill HamiltonRepublican2018BuckhannonUpshurBarbour, Braxton, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph, Upshur, Webster
2024Robert L. KarnesRepublican2020HelvetiaRandolph
122026Ben QueenRepublican2022BridgeportHarrisonCalhoun, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Taylor
2024Patrick S. MartinRepublican2020WestonLewis
132026Mike OliverioRepublican2022[b]MorgantownMonongaliaMarion, Monongalia
2024Mike CaputoDemocratic2020RivesvilleMarion
142026Jay TaylorRepublican2022GraftonTaylorGrant, Hardy, Mineral, Preston, Taylor, Tucker
2024Randy SmithRepublican2016ThomasTucker
152026Charles S. TrumpRepublican2014Berkeley SpringsMorganBerkeley, Hampshire, Morgan
2024Craig BlairRepublican2012MartinsburgBerkeley
162026Jason BarrettRepublican2022MartinsburgBerkeleyBerkeley, Jefferson
2024Patricia RuckerRepublican2016Harpers FerryJefferson
172026Tom TakuboRepublican2014CharlestonKanawhaKanawha
2024Eric NelsonRepublican2020CharlestonKanawha
  1. ^ Multi-county districts (all but District 17) must elect Senators from different counties
  2. ^ Oliverio previously served in the Senate from 1994 to 2010.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f West Virginia Constitution, West Virginia Legislature (accessed May 29, 2013)
  2. ^ a b How a Bill Becomes Law, West Virginia State Legislature (accessed May 29, 2013)
  3. ^ "SB 3034 Text". Archived from the original on October 20, 2021.
  4. ^ Glenn Jeffries (District 8) switched parties from Democratic to Republican. [1]
  5. ^ "2020 REDISTRICTING" (PDF). wvlegislature.gov. 2021.

External links

38°20′11.5″N 81°36′46.7″W / 38.336528°N 81.612972°W / 38.336528; -81.612972

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia_Senate