This week, West Virginia lawmakers will gather in Charleston for the start of their annual legislative session. This 60-day affair is when our elected officials come together to write new laws, unwrite old ones and put together a budget for our state government. It’s a once-a-year opportunity for West Virginians to come together to collaboratively address our state’s biggest challenges. At least it’s supposed to be.
Our goal at Mountain State Spotlight during this time is really pretty simple: We want to tell our readers what lawmakers are doing to meet our state’s challenges. Sometimes, though, the most important part of doing that is tipping you off when a problem is being ignored, or warning you when powerful interests are working behind the scenes in ways that make matters worse.
This session, we will be paying extra attention to the ways that slashing state agency budgets to pay for tax cuts erodes important public services for our communities and for our most vulnerable neighbors.
We’ll also be looking for ways to lift up voices that aren’t often heard in the halls of power. And we will be trying to take readers deep into how the sausage is made, revealing ways in which the system works more for powerful interests and less for average West Virginians. If you have general tips for legislative stories, please help us investigate.
Henry Culvyhouse
As Mountain State Spotlight’s State Government Watchdog Reporter, I keep an eye on what state officials are up to. Over the next 60 days, that means a deep focus on Legislative actions – and inactions.
This year, I’ll be spending a lot of my time covering the state government budget. In reporting on the budget, I have tried to make complex government math more accessible to average West Virginians with stories about the rainy day fund and the civil contingency fund. Among other things this session, I’ll be watching for how the political drive for more tax breaks and spending cuts will reduce or eliminate important state services our communities need.
My reporting will also try to shine a light on how the sausage is made, including examining key ways power is wielded and for whose benefit, illustrating the impacts of a supermajority that can operate without guardrails, and how new committee rules in the House impact the ability of average West Virginians to have input in the process.
Last year, I wrote about how lawmakers didn’t take significant steps to improve troubling conditions in our state’s prison and jails. In keeping with our “sustained outrage” journalism mission, I will be closely following that again this year to see if anything gets done.
If you have a tip, knowledge or are directly affected by any of these topics – or you just want to say hi – feel free to send me an email at henry@mountainstatespotlight.org.
Tre Spencer
I cover economic development, with a focus on how companies, private individuals and government officials are helping or hindering the growth of a diverse and healthy economy for all West Virginians.
Over the last few months, I’ve reported that West Virginia is risking losing out on $1 billion in federal funding to provide quality broadband internet service, and how President Donald Trump’s tariff plans could make life more expensive for West Virginians.
During the session, I’ll focus partly on how lawmakers are – and aren’t – working to ensure all West Virginians have access to affordable internet service. I’ll also be watching for new corporate tax breaks and other development incentives to measure if they will really improve the economy for average West Virginians.
And I will be reporting on what steps lawmakers could be taking to address the many barriers – from child care to job training to transportation – that keep many West Virginians from getting and keeping good jobs.
I’d like to hear from folks who know anything more about these topics or are affected by any one of them. If you have any questions, tips, comments or concerns, shoot me an email at trespencer@mountainstatespotlight.org.
Sarah Elbeshbishi
I cover the environment and energy, often focusing on the ways fossil fuel and other legacy industries affect public health and the quality of our air and water.
This legislative session, I’ll be watching closely to see if lawmakers take steps to address West Virginia’s longstanding problems with access to clean and reliable drinking water.
I will also be focusing on efforts lawmakers make to address our soaring electricity costs and whether or not they support multiple energy production options. Last year, I wrote about how lawmakers weren’t doing enough to ensure the cleanup of abandoned natural gas wells, and I will be reporting on that again this session.
Also, I will be keeping an eye out for efforts to roll back clean water and air protections, with a focus on renewed efforts to limit the ability of citizens to monitor the environmental quality in their communities.
If you’ve been directly impacted by any of these issues, have some insight or just want to introduce yourself, feel free to ping me at sarah@mountainstatespotlight.org.
Erin Beck
I cover public health and often focus on the overdose crisis, health care costs and the impacts of gaps in support programs on the most vulnerable West Virginians, including children, people with disabilities and the elderly.
This session, I will be watching to see if elected officials are taking steps to provide more treatment and recovery care for our neighbors working to overcome substance use disorder. I will also be covering stories about whether lawmakers improve oversight efforts to ensure money from opioid settlements is spent wisely.
I will also be closely following how actions – and inactions – by lawmakers affect the ability of West Virginians to get the health care they need. This work will include covering changes to benefits offered by the Public Employee Insurance Agency and costs of those services. I’m also reporting on potential cuts to programs that provide services to our most vulnerable people, including Medicaid for poor West Virginians and Medicare for older residents.
Our investigation into West Virginia’s foster care system found that those programs remain in crisis, and I will be reporting this session on whether lawmakers provide adequate funding and take other steps necessary to protect the children who rely on that safety net.
Send tips to erin@mountainstatespotlight.org if you’ve been affected by officials’ approaches to these challenges.
Help us investigate
We want our readers to help guide our coverage of the 2025 legislative session. Please tell us stories you need, questions you want answered and challenges your community is facing that lawmakers should help address.
- Reach out through our phone tipline at 304-506-TIPS (304-506-8477) or send us an email.
- You can also send us mail the old-fashioned way. Our address is Mountain State Spotlight, 170 Summers Street, Suite 210, Charleston, WV 25301.
- Or use contact information for specific reporters listed above.