The Issue of Safety

As I meet with constituents I’m often asked what I’ve done to make West Virginia a safer place.  Throughout my first term as your Senator, safety has been a priority.  Here are some examples of legislation that I helped to create and enact into law.

Safety for children:

• Child Protection – Designating local Fire Departments as safe surrender sites for children in need of immediate physical protection
• School safety – legislation from earlier this year requiring video cameras to be used in special needs classrooms when requested by a parent or legal guardian and the funds to make it happen (SB 632 and SB 614).
• Foster care safety – legislation creating the office of ombudsman, a person trained to provide protection for children, helping them to navigate the system.   

Safety for all citizens: 

• Legislation from 2017 that created the radio interoperability network. Under the auspices of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management this network, created to be responsive in times of emergency, links together law enforcement, first responders and agencies on all levels of government, Federal, State, County and Municipal. 

Safety isn’t guaranteed, but we can help each other in times of need.