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West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has vetoed a a bill to ban the dismemberment abortion method that tears unborn babies limb from limb. The West Virginia Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, SB 10, successfully made it through the state legislature and would make it the latest state to ban the abortion method. State lawmakers are expected to override the governor’s veto. The bill passed by a vote of 86-13 after more than an hour of debate. Any abortion practitioner who violates the ban would lose his medical license, essentially prohibiting him from ever doing abortions again. This...

The West Virginia legislature did not waste any time in overriding Governor Tomblin's veto of HB 4145, also known as "Constitutional carry" or permitless carry. Governor Tomblin vetoed a similar bill in 2015, but the veto occurred after the legislature had adjourned, making a veto override difficult. This year, the Constitutional carry bill was passed early enough for the legislature to vote on a veto override if necessary. Governor Tomblin received the Constitutional carry bill on 26 February. He waited to the last possible day to veto it, 3 March. The House of Delegates overrode his veto on 4 March,...

The West Virginia Constitutional carry bill, HB 4145, has passed both the House and the Senate by wide, veto proof margins.  The House, 68-31, the Senate, 24-9.   The bill went to Governor Tomblin on the 26th of February.  According to West Virginia law, Governor Tomblin has five days to sign or veto the bill.  Last year, 2015, he did not receive the Constitutional carry bill until the last day of the session.  He was able to veto Constitutional carry after the legislature had adjourned, ensuring that his veto would not be overridden.  This year, 2016, Constitutional carry was passed...

West Virginia is set to become the 26th state with a so-called right-to-work law. State lawmakers rebuked Thursday's veto by Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, voting along party lines in their House and Senate. Some House Republicans voted "no," though only a simple majority was required. ...

You have to give West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin credit for Machiavellian use of power.  He cleverly waited until the legislature adjourned, sin die, before vetoing the popular constitutional carry bill.  The bill SB 347, would have removed some of the restrictions on carrying concealed weapons by those who can legally own them.  It passed with overwhelming margins and bipartisan support in both the Senate (32-2) and the House (71-29).  For a non budget bill, such as SB 347, simple majorities would have been enough to override a veto. Which is why the Governor waited until the legislature...

The West Virgina Senate has made short work of confirming the passage of SB 347, also known as the Constitutional Carry bill. The bill was amended in the House to change the minimum age for carrying concealed without a permit from 18 to 21. It passed the House by a 71 to 29 margin, with 51 Republicans and 20 Democrats voting for the bill. Yesterday, 13 March, the Senate confirmed the amended House vote. Observers at opencarry.org predict that Governor Tomblin will allow the bill to become law without his signature: No one expects him to. He's expected to...

[JURIST] The West Virginia Legislature [official website] on Friday overrode the governor's veto, passing a bill [text, HB 2586] banning abortion after 20 weeks. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin [official website] said he vetoed the law because of concerns over its constitutionality and would have preferred a later gestational period for banning abortion. The bill excludes [AP report] certain cases of medical emergencies and is set to take effect in May. West Virginia is now the 11th state to ban abortion after 20 weeks. The legislation is based on the premise that fetuses can feel pain starting around 20 weeks, a...

The newly elected Republican legislature in West Virginia flexed its muscles today by overriding Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin veto of an abortion law that would ban the practice after 20 weeks. In other words, late-term abortion is banned in West Virginia (via AP): The ban provides some exemptions for women in medical emergencies, but not for rape and incest. The bill is based on the assertion that fetuses can feel pain at 20 weeks, which is disputed in medical research. Opponents say it's unconstitutional and intrusive into doctor-patient relationships. Ten other states ban abortions after 20 weeks. The West Virginia...

Democratic Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, who describes himself as pro-life and campaigned as a pro-life candidate, has vetoed a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. West Virginians for Life, the statewide pro-life group, tells LifeNews it is disappointed in Governor Tomblin’s veto of HB 4588, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Similar bills have been passed in ten other states and Governor Tomblin is the only governor who has vetoed one of these bills. fetalpain2In his veto message, the Governor claimed that attorneys advised him the bill was unconstitutional. Many cite an Arizona law as proof,...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The federal government has denied Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's request for individual assistance to help homeowners hit by a June 29 windstorm, Tomblin said Thursday night.

In a year when the Obama administration’s “war on coal” could signify a Republican victory of landslide proportions in West Virginia, three of the state’s top Democrats recently announced they would not attend their party’s national convention that will renominate the president on Labor Day weekend. Rep. Nick Joe Rahall, Sen. Joe Manchin, and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin—all of whom who faced stiff re-election challenges in their last races and now face strong Republican opponents this fall—have said they want to spend Labor Day weekend campaigning in or working for West Virginia rather than attend their party’s convention in Charlotte,...

Three high-profile Democrats from West Virginia are not planning to attend the Democratic National Convention in September. Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Nick Rahall and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin have opted not to go to the convention in Charlotte, according to a West Virginia Democratic Party press release. President Barack Obama is not popular in the state, and in 2010, Manchin ran a TV ad openly attacking the administration on cap-and-trade. Manchin, who is on the ballot again in November and does not face a difficult race, had already said this spring he wasn’t sure he would vote for Obama’s re-election.

According to a new survey by the Democratic-affiliated Public Policy Polling, tomorrow's gubernatorial special election in West Virginia is too close to call. Democrat and Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin currently leads Republican Businessman Bill Maloney by just one point (47% - 46%), down from a 6 point lead a month ago and a whopping 33 point lead early in the year.

West Virginia too close to call The race for Governor of West Virginia is looking more and more like a toss up, with Democrat Earl Ray Tomblin now leading Republican Bill Maloney only 47-46. Tomblin's lead was 46-40 on a poll conducted at the beginning of September and he had led by as large a margin as 33 points earlier in the year.

Now that Congressman Bob Turner (R-New York) has been sworn in on Capitol Hill, national attention is turning to the October 4 special election in West Virginia. Acting Governor and career politician Earl Ray Tomblin (D), who took office when former Governor Joe Manchin moved up to the US Senate, is running for a term of his own against conservative businessman Bill Maloney (R). Sound familiar? As in NY-9, an establishment Democrat is running against a political novice in a race that was supposed to be a slam dunk for the Democrat. Just a few months ago, Acting Governor Tomblin...