Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., will have more responsibility when the new Congress begins meeting next year.
McKinley, who was re-elected earlier this month to his third term, will continue to serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee for the next two years. He’ll maintain his position on the Energy and Power and the Environment and Economy subcommittees, but has been named vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. While on the committees, McKinley has been vocal in his opposition of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Affordable Care Act.
“The issues we work on in the Energy and Commerce Committee are crucial for the sate of West Virginia,” McKinley said. “Whether it’s standing up for coal and natural gas jobs or providing relief from Obamacare, the committee has provided an opportunity to work on behalf of the people of the first district.”
McKinley went on to say he will use his new role to “hold the Obama administration accountable with aggressive oversight.”
“When the Obama administration does something that hurts West Virginia and our country, we will stand up to them.”
The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is responsible for oversight of agencies and departments, including the EPA, Department of Energy, Health and Human Services and the Federal Communications Commission. Broadly, the Energy and Commerce Committee is oversees a variety of issues including energy, manufacturing, health care, the Internet and telecommunications. It is the oldest standing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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State leaders will host a forum on human trafficking Monday to provide information West Virginians need to know about the crime.
William Ihlenfeld, U.S. District Attorney for Northern West Virginia, Delegate Barbara Evans Flesichauer, D-Monongalia and Joyce Yedloskey, a team coordinator for the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, will host the event at Wheeling Jesuit University.
Earlier this year, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed legislation aimed at expanding protections provided to victims in West Virginia. Fleischauer intends to introduce a bill in the 2015 session to tighten the law. West Virginia lags behind other states in protections afforded to victims of sex trafficking. The Polaris Project ranks states for their progress on such legislation using a tier system. Tier One states are the most progressive, and 39 states have reached that status. But not West Virginia.
“I am hopeful this legislation will pass in 2015 and that West Virginia will be rated as Tier One by the Polaris Project” Fleischauer said. “After all, who could be in favor of human trafficking?”
Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of others. Victims of human trafficking include minors involved in the sex trade, adults who are coerced or deceived into sexual acts and anyone forced into different forms of “labor or services” such as domestic workers held in a home or farm workers forced to labor against their will.
“It is difficult to believe that the concepts of slavery and forced labor continue to permeate modern society,” Ihlenfeld said. “Such crimes are particularly concerning because they target fundamental rights such as freedom and security. We are dedicated to aggressively prosecuting instances of human trafficking in the Northern District of West Virginia and appreciate the opportunity to bring awareness to such an important topic.”
The forum will take place at 7 p.m. Monday at the Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University. A second forum will take place Dec. 1 in Morgantown and a third is being planned for early January in Parkersburg.
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The West Virginia National Guard is set to dedicate a new readiness center in the eastern part of the state.
The 57,000-square-foot Moorefield Readiness Center will serve as the home of the 157th Military Police unit and the hub for Air National Guard training activities. The Hardy County Emergency Operations Center also will operate out of the facility, which will provide the Guard and other state agencies the ability to efficiently and effectively respond to emergencies in that part of the state.
The facility also will be available for rent by professional and community groups.
Maj. Gen. James Hoyer and other community leaders will speak during the dedication ceremony, which will take place at 2:30 p.m. today.
Contact writer Whitney Burdette at 304-348-7939 or whitney.burdette@dailymailwv.com. Follow her at www.Twitter.com/wburdette_DM.