For a lot of us, our knowledge of the legislative process began and ended somewhere in a middle school civics class, perhaps featuring this iconic Schoolhouse Rock character:
I’m just a bill.
Yes, I’m only a bill.
And I’m sitting here on Capitol Hill.
Easy, right? There are three branches of government (legislative, executive and judicial). In the legislative branch, lawmakers propose bills, they pass through both chambers (the House and the Senate) and then go to the governor to sign. If all that happens, West Virginia has a brand new law on the books.
But there’s so much more to understand about how we get to that point. And whether you’re a policy wonk, a casual legislative watcher or just a West Virginian who wants to know more about how this process with so much potential influence over your daily life works, we have the newsletter for you.
Over the course of several emails, state government watchdog reporter Ian Karbal sheds light on what you really need to know about the West Virginia Legislature. We’re calling it Power and Possums, and true to that name, it will explore the unexpected places power does and doesn’t lie in the Legislature and give you the tools you need to keep track of any so-called “fat possums” that tend to run at night.
Sign up here to subscribe.