On this episode of The Legislature Today, we have a roundtable with our Energy & Environment Reporter Curtis Tate, Health Reporter Emily Rice and Statehouse Reporter Briana Heaney. They discuss the first days of the 2025 state legislative session and look ahead to the remaining weeks.

Also, members of the House Education Committee have wasted no time getting to work on big issues. The committee held two informational hearings, first on the Hope Scholarship Thursday and then on the state school funding formula Friday.

And, lawmakers began the process of establishing a religious exemption to childhood vaccines Thursday. There were so many questions from lawmakers that the Senate Health Committee had to come back for an extended meeting.

Last year, we introduced a new segment in our program featuring two West Virginia high school students who learn about the legislative process by following bills that interest them. Those students last year were Ben Valleau and Ameera Mustafa. In December, on their winter break from college, Valleau and Mustafa came back to our studio to pass the torch on to one of our new high school hosts, Emma Browning.

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https://youtu.be/KhvYn0R-I4M?si=UWPOGODnaHVJ0JGD

The Legislature Today is West Virginia’s only television/radio simulcast devoted to covering the state’s 60-day regular legislative session.

Watch or listen to new episodes Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.