The Delegate House voted for the approval of a law that reduced the equal opportunities of West Virginia on Friday, April 11, 2025 (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography)
The legislator has signed the equal opportunities in West Virginia and decided to keep the role of the office in a state agency who is commissioned to protect discrimination based on nationality.
But there remains questions about how they Office apparently dissolved Before the legislator has signed all changes, this is necessary. The OEO no longer has a committed employee or a director who is required in the state code. A website for the office was depressed.
A spokesman for the administrative Ministry, who is now monitoring the work of the OEO, has not answered what happened to the West Virginia questions. Governor Patrick Morrisey said reporters on Monday that he does not know all the details, but “will make sure that everything will be done correctly”.
The OEO was commissioned Compliance with the federal government’s rights of disability and Examined discrimination and annoyance claims from public employees.
“All obligations are currently still housed in the administrative ministry and are still being taken care of,” said DEL. Chris Phillips, R-Barbour. The federal reports are still submitted, he said.
While checking a Senate The invoice The OEO members of the House Committee on Government Organization learned last week that the office was probably already dissolved, which may have violated the Code of the State Law, in which the legislators did not have the necessary approval.
After this session the committee changed The Republican law has now continued the position of the OEO coordinator within the Ministry of Administration. The office would continue to be canceled after the legislation.
The house approved the changed invoice on Friday with a vote From 90-9.
All house democrats voted against the measure and cited concerns that it was still not clear what had happened to the office.
“During the committee proceedings, we learned that the office was obviously eliminated without our approval,” said Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha.
Sheryl Webb, director of the state department for personnel, declined last week, members of the House Committee who instructed the department to start dismantling the office.
she said Executive order Prescribe that government agencies find efficiency and eliminate waste. The removal of the OEO would save salaries of $ 125,000 plus benefits of $ 41,250, she said.
Bill sponsor Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, also said that the draft law was in the effort to rationalize the state government because the work was already carried out by the HR department.
The Senate approved the draft law on March 29 and you have to agree with the coordination of the house about the measure before going to the governor’s desk to take this into account.
During a press conference on April 7, Morrisey said: “One of the things we do is protecting taxpayers and increasing efficiency.”
“I will go back and make sure that we take the steps and find out whether there are areas in which we need the authority to change. Then we go to the legislator and ask for changes,” he continued.
