[ politics ]
Legislative
Perspective
Q&A with Senate
President Mitch Carmichael
JENNIFER JETT PREZKOP
WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
CONTINUED
ON THE WEB
Mitch Carmichael has been a member of the West Virginia Legislature since 2001, when he was sworn in as a member of
the House of Delegates. In 2016, he was appointed to the dual role of Senate president and lieutenant governor, which he still
holds today. As such, he has a unique perspective on state government’s daily operations, the 60-day legislative session and
the types of bills that will help move the Mountain State forward. In this Q&A, Carmichael discusses some of the highs and
lows of the 2019 legislative session and what West Virginians can expect next.
WVE: What are the challenges you face in this role?
MC: The real challenge is being able to get the public, as
well as those special interest groups that are affected by legis-
lation, to understand that we are always trying to do what is
right for the people of West Virginia and that this state can be
great. We have been held back for way too long by low expec-
tations and people making excuses about why we are in these
conditions. The challenge is to inspire people to have a better
vision for our state and to be able to see the end game, which
is prosperity for our people.
WVE: Tell us about your responsibilities as the
Senate president.
MC: They are all encompassing. The role is to assign com-
mittee chairs and ensure the legislation that will work best for
the people of West Virginia will be championed and moved
through the system. It’s also a role of staffing and managing
the operations of the Senate with a $4.5 million budget as I
am responsible for the personnel, technology and delivery of
the product to ensure it becomes legislation. As the Senate
president, I am also the lieutenant governor, so I have to stay
on top of all state government.
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
WVE: What are your overall thoughts on how the
2019 session went?
MC: At the end of the day, we did a lot of great work in
our 2019 legislative session. One of the things I’m proud of is
Senate Bill 1, which provides community and technical college
education for our citizens to get the training that enables them
to have world-class careers. I’m also very proud that our budget
was completed in a 60-day time frame and that we reduced
taxes on Social Security recipients in our state.
We reduced the taxes on our coal industry to make our coal
more competitive and keep our coal miners, manufacturers
and other entities working, and we have done a couple of bills
that make it more advantageous to expand broadband in our
state. We also worked toward resolving our road issues, and
we reformed our foster care system.
We continue to work on reform for our education system.
What exact format that becomes, we will have to wait and see.