1…Taking out Four-Year Rule

so parents who home school their children would not be required to have four more years of schooling beyond the children they educate. A "Yes" vote for this amendment would gut the bill and what it was trying to accomplish. Home schooling parents without college would have to stop home schooling their children after eighth grade despite their success, thereby breaking and disrupting the continuity the children are used to. This follows the elitist view that only the public schools can educate children. North Dakota until 1999 was the only other state to have this requirement (H.B. 2595) 3/5/01 RC#10 (35-65).

eliminating the four-year rule so that home schooling parents without college would not have to stop home schooling their children after eighth grade. Without this bill the continuity home schooled children are used to would be broken when the children would have to seek some other form of education. The bill also provided counties with extra funding for home schooling. North Dakota until 1999 was the only other state to have this requirement that follows the elitist view that only the public schools can educate children. (H.B. 2595) 3/5/01 RC#12 (89-11).

on bills on passage to increase accountability and public confidence in the representative form of government. The public that votes for their elected officials should know with certainty how their elected officials vote to represent them for all bills on passage, not just ones that a legislator requests to be a recorded roll call vote. With voice votes legislators not in the House Chamber during voting would still be counted as voting on the prevailing side. On some high profile issues roll calls are requested but not on others such as the tobacco tax. A "No" vote was for recorded votes (H.R. 9) 3/8/01 RC#15 (Reject? 72-27).

This amendment was presented by the Finance Committee Chairman Del. Michael as requiring counties that wanted Sunday hunting to pass a countywide local referendum before Sunday hunting would be allowed (H.B. 2146) 3/5/01 RC#147 (54-46).

Reducing the number of video poker machines that were to be legalized from 9000 to 5000 as part of the Governor's 3R's - Regulate, Reduce, and Restrict. This number would have still accommodated the existing taverns and fraternal organizations with gray machines, while getting rid of the ones at convenience stores, gas stations, bowling alleys, restaurants and other non-ABCC licensed locations. (H.B. 2205) 04/05/01 RC#167 (26-73).

by keeping the part of the bill that made all machines illegal (except at the four race tracks) while not keeping in the parts of the bill that legalized the 9000 new slot machines and allocated the revenues generated. This follows the intent of the governor's rhetoric to reduce and restrict the gray machines (H.B. 2205) 04/05/01 RC#168 (36-64).

before the video poker machines can be legalized. This amendment would allow the public to have a say in this issue that will affect every county across the state and will have major financial implications for the state budget. A majority of West Virginians would be required to approve this important measure (H.B. 2205) 04/05/01 RC#169 (28-72).

before allowing the legalization of the video poker machines. Each county in West Virginia would be given the opportunity to approve or reject where to allow video poker machines in its neighborhoods and communities. This opportunity was provided to the voters in Greenbrier County when casino gambling was proposed at the Greenbrier Hotel. (H.B. 2205) 04/05/01 RC# 170 (29-70).

9000 gray video poker machines at ABCC licensed club locations across the state would be legalized and controlled by the Lottery Commission. To the opponents of gambling this was a surrender to gambling industry with little or no effort to enforce the law. The experiences from South Carolina and other states where the spread of video poker machines lead to the break up of marriages and families and the bankruptcy of thousands, where the cost for law enforcement and social services far exceeded the tax revenues for the machines, was ignored (H.B. 2205) 04/06/01 RC#221 (66-34).

The bill authorized license plates for certain members of the Armed Forces. In the House committee it was amended to also included firefighters and pro-life plates. On the House floor there was an effort to "Christmas tree" the bill to death with amendments for other groups. The pro-life community wanted a "Yes" vote (the bill later died in the Senate) (S.B. 181 04/14/01 RC#426 (74-25).

This amendment strongly opposed by the tracks would have stopped their backdoor gambling expansion through the Lottery Commission. The Lottery Commission has been a rubber stamp of approval when each track was originally allocated 400 machines to provide profit to bail out the horse and dog racing operations. These initial 1600 video lottery terminals at the four tracks have now grown to 6000 casino gambling slot machines similar to those at Las Vegas or Atlantic City allowing the tracks to over $3 billion in bets as they use the profits to buy casinos in other states or invest in internet gambling. The amount played went from $2.3 billion at the four tracks in 1999 to over $3.3 billion in 2000. (H.B. 102) 04/17/01 RC#540 (26-70).

and increase in race track bets of $2 to $5 with $217 million in new revenues. 9000 gray video poker machines at ABCC licensed club locations across the state would be legalized and controlled by the Lottery Commission. To the opponents of gambling this was a surrender to gambling industry with little or no effort to enforce the law. The experiences from South Carolina and other states where the spread of video poker machines lead to the break up of marriages and families and the bankruptcy of thousands, where the cost for law enforcement and social services far exceeded the tax revenues for the machines, was ignored (H.B. 102) 04/18/01 RC#545 (62-34).

of the video poker machines rather than issuing a paper ticket of winnings. This change in the flawed 2001 gambling bill increases the addictive nature of the machines by bringing back the 1999 changes that were mistakenly left out in the legalization of the 9000 gray machines pushed by the governor earlier in 2001. (S.B. 5002) 09/15/01 RC#632 (63-20).

rather than 90 days from passage. This vote required 2/3 of those elected or 67 House members. Three votes were required before the Speaker could get the 67 votes needed. The changes in the April passed law requiring paper ticket payout were being ignored at the four race tracks so the administration wanted the changes effective immediately rather than looking the other way for another 90 days. (S.B. 5002) 09/15/01 RC#633 (66-16) RC#634 (66-20) RC#635 (68-21).

breaking up the state's largest multi-delegate district. This amendment for Kanawha County would have changed the seven-member, three-member and one-single member district configuration into a five, three, and three single member district configuration thereby increasing accountability. By dividing the seven-member district, areas such as Cabin Creek would be able to elect a delegate from their specific area. Voters would have a greater chance of knowing their specific delegate and hold him or her accountable. With the current system the voters select seven delegates out of 14 in the general election and even more in the primary, in many cases voting for delegates from outside their area that they may not know. (H.B. 511) 09/14/01 RC#645 (17-77).