Tag: session
WV Senate President Kessler Tells Gov. Tomblin to Call Special Session to Address 20 Week Abortion Ban
Posted on June 3, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
According to Alliance Alert: West Virginia Senate President Jeff Kessler (D) today added more pressure to the call for a special session to address the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, the bill that Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) vetoed at the end of the regular session in March.
Appearing today on MetroNews “Talkline,” Kessler said, “We have a pro-life majority in leadership and I think we can get this issue addressed and put it behind us and move on to other topics that also need to be addressed.”
Gov. Tomblin has said he would again veto the bill, arguing it is unconstitutional. House Speaker Tim Miley again brought up cost. “I don’t believe West Virginia taxpayers will understand why lawmakers would be so eager to quickly return to Charleston at great expense to attempt to pass legislation destined for a long legal battle and a very uncertain future,” he said.
Kessler rebutted both contentions in his appearance on Talkline. Had he thought the law was unconstitutional, Kessler said he wouldn’t have voted for it in the first place.
“Kessler argued the bill already has overwhelming support among legislators and just needs another chance to pass,” according to reporter Shauna Johnson of West Virginia Metro News. Kessler said, “We are going to have a pain capable bill. That’s a given.”
URGENT: West Virginia Legislature Close to Forcing Special Session to Override Veto of Pro Life Bill
Posted on May 27, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
I am pleased to report that news has been circulating that legislators in West Virginia are close to forcing a special session to seek an override to Gov. Tomblin’s veto of the 20 week abortion ban. Pro-lifers throughout the state and across the country were disappointed when Tomblin vetoed the bill for several reasons; least of all is the fact that he consistently claims to be pro-life. But his reasoning, that the bill is unconstitutional, doesn’t hold up considering that other states have passed similar bills that have withstood judicial challenge.
LifeNews.com is reporting: “In a speech Wednesday, House Minority Leader Tim Armstead (R-Kanawha) urged members to sign the petition. He said of Tomlin’s threat to veto, ‘I’m sure it’s a message to the remaining Democratic members to not sign the petition.’ However, Tomblin would have no choice if three-fifths of the members of both houses request it in writing. That means 22 in the Senate and 60 delegates. As of Thursday night, Armstead said it was his understanding that ’54 delegates and 23 senators had signed the petition,’ the Charleston Gazette reported.”