AFSC West Virginia Winter 2026 Update

It has been an icy, cold winter all over the country, in so many ways. And if the frigid landscape nationally wasn't challenging enough, it was only last week that we passed the halfway point of legislative session in West Virginia. Note the correct spelling of “Virginia”—since Governor Morrisey couldn’t quite get the spelling right at his press conference last week. Only thing I'll say about that is that I wish all the other mistakes the state administration and legislature were making were that amusing, or inconsequential. To name a few of the mistakes right off the top...

Early on in the session the Senate passed SB 137 which enhances criminal penalties by adding ten years to the minimum sentences for certain crimes. Despite the preponderous lack of evidence to support that increasing penalties prevents harm, the Senate was not deterred. Kenny and our allies with the WV Criminal Law Reform Coalition have been working hard to hold it off in the House—you can help with that here.

The House also passed HB 4606 which originally was a bill to require magistrates to consider citizenship when setting bail. The bail bond lobby snuck into HB 4606 a hugely consequential provision that would prohibit magistrates from setting a personal recognizance bond for any person charged with a felony.  When there is money to be made at the expense of both taxpayers and poor people, you can count on the bail bond industry. 

I remind lawmakers that who will be impacted by this legislation (besides our counties who will already see their jail bills go up due to per diem increases) are people who are too poor to afford bail. If you have money, you can purchase your freedom. If you are poor, you are locked up in an overcrowded jail cell while you await a preliminary hearing. I don’t see the justice in this, but I do see why the bail bond industry is pushing for it.

At the start of legislative session our coalition hosted a press conference calling for compassion and common sense on the issues around jails and prisons, and highlighting some of the proactive bills that would help. There are three bills in the realm of actual justice that we are hoping gain some traction: SB 601 is a medical respite bill our friends at Mountain State Justice have worked on alongside Senator Joey Garcia. Our allies at the REACH Initiative who work every day with people trying to navigate life post incarceration helped to get SB 736 introduced which would ensure people leaving incarceration have state IDs. Our coalition’s second look sentencing bill should be coming from bill drafting any day now. Here are some pictures from press event:

Naming some of these weaknesses can be instructive for where (and when) to put out our energy.  For example the regime’s ideological obsession with targeting immigrants makes them inattentive to the harms caused by people’s healthcare subsidies going away (which will negatively impact 67,000 people in West Virginia).  Niccolo Machiavelli wrote in The Prince quite succinctly in 1532 that the prince  “…who has the public as a whole for his enemy can never make himself secure; and the greater his cruelty, the weaker does his regime become.”

We continue to exploit the wannabe dictatorship through strategies like supporting mass protest, holding elected officials accountable for their votes to take food and healthcare away from people, exposing the cruelty of immigration raids, and protecting those who are targeted by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).  Speaking of, if you are interested in getting linked into efforts to protect immigrant neighbors, feel free to be in touch.  Where I live in Greenbrier County community efforts have included accompanying people to court hearings, tracking ICE activity, and assisting with basic needs.

My first days back were spent at an AFSC-WV staff retreat in Charleston, facilitated by the inimitable Katey Lauer, and I couldn't have dreamed of a better way to jump back in.  We talked about our shared work across our two programs during this errr, challenging political moment.  Our sister programs the Appalachian Center for Equality and the WV Economic Justice Program team up on all things youth engagement and food justice, linking young people to policy fights and local advocacy, and promoting the right to food.  If you appreciate a good flipchart, below is a peak of one from our staff retreat.

Protecting child labor laws

Another mistake the legislature might make is rolling back child labor laws. The short of it is that HB 4005 passed the House and if it gets through the Senate without significant amendments, would eliminate state rules that enumerate which jobs are too dangerous for kids under 18, and remove requirements for direct supervision when teenagers work with hazardous machinery. The longer version of why I think HB 4005 is a really terrible idea was recently in the Charleston Gazette Mail (or here behind the paywall).   So far Senate Government Organization committee has not taken up HB 4005 but it feels like an eternity until bills are due out of committee. Consider sending a message to your senator(s) via the Legislative Action Team here. There is also an open faith statement opposing HB 4005 if you’d be interested in signing.   

In good company at the Capitol...

Monday (2/16) was Rural Health Day at the Capitol, as well as a Rising from Below event that our friends Rev. Brad Davis and Rev. Caitlin Ware helped lead to draw attention to the ongoing water crisis in places like McDowell County where people don’t have access to clean water. 

Tuesday (2/17) is Local Food and Farms Day and WV Coalition Against Domestic Violence Day. I will be there in part to promote the WV Restorative Justice Project, and spreading the word about the right to food alongside fine folks with WV Food and Farm Coalition, WVU’s Center for Resilient Communities’ Food Justice Lab, and Carolina Rascon and fellows with the Voices of Hunger project.  

Thursday (2/19) Compassion Calls Us Day 2026 – “Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters”

3/2 Leading for Justice Advocacy Day: We are hoping those who have loved ones incarcerated, and people who believe that the carceral system is wrong and completely out of hand, will all show up big time on March 2nd for Leading for Justice Advocacy Day. For the past three years our coalition has hosted a Leading for Justice conference and this year we are turning that into action through meetings with legislators and filling committee rooms. You can register here.

Other advocacy days that will be cool:

2/23: WV Environmental Day 

2/24: Black Policy Day 

3/4: WV Library Day 

3/6: Reproductive Rights Day 

Quick updates on the WV Restorative Justice Project: Thanks to a really great group of people on the board and advisory team, the circle keepers training with Kay Pranis next month at Cedar Lakes is FULL!  For any restorative justice practitioners or enthusiasts (like me), save the date for restorative justice one-day summit on June 26th at WVU College of Law in Morgantown.

Losing an angel among us: A beautiful person I’ve always admired named Jane Hearne died suddenly last month. Jane was a member of our program committee and a long time friend, we all adored her. For those who also knew her, know what a bright, warm, strong light Jane was in the world. I wrote something in her memory on the Goat Rope. 

Speaking of the Goat Rope: With Rick’s blessing I am writing on his almost famous blog the Goat Rope.  Anyone who has been a reader of the Goat Rope over the years knows that Rick’s writing is hard to match.  One entry among thousands was entitled, “MORE ADVICE FOR THE LOVELORN FROM A PEACOCK.”  See what I mean?? Nonetheless I will be writing and posting there more regularly, while these “official” newsletters will stay sporadic. So if you’re simply pining for more email updates on shenanigans at the state legislature, AFSC-WV goings on, musings on authoritarianism and how we fight back, indulge me and subscribe.   

I had written about evil water-guzzling, air polluting data centers until my computer restarted without my consent and it all disappeared (curses!). I'll be writing about dirty deals for data centers on the blog, but also our allies at WV Citizen Action Group and WV Rivers Coalition have great information in real time. Plus I haven't covered here all the anti-immigrant legislation that has been moving. On the bright side there is a lot of really cool local organizing happening in pockets around state to support immigrants and document ICE activity. More on that on Goat Rope. Also follow AFSC West Virginia Facebook page. 

Lastly I wanted to share from our sister program Appalachian Center for Equality: Right before the holidays Liz, Molly, Kat, Kirstyn, and Kenny went with a group of West Virginia youth to visit AFSC's Miami program for a Winter Academy. The connection between the ACE youth and the Seeds of Resistance youth in Florida continues to grow. 

Learn more about the West Virginia Economic Justice Project and sign up for updates.