Finally, it is 2026 and things will begin ramping up from here as the new 60-day legislative session kicks off next week with the gaveling in of the House of Delegates and state Senate, and Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s second State of the State address.

The West Virginia Press Association’s annual Legislative Lookahead is this Friday at the Culture Center in Charleston. The event serves as the kickoff for those in print, TV, radio, and non-profit news preparing for their statehouse coverage.

Reporters will hear from legislative majority and minority leadership, executive branch officials, interest groups, academics, and those in key industries about the potential legislation and issues that lawmakers will likely tackle during the legislative session. It’s also a great event for reporters – some of whom are in other parts of the state – to put faces to names and make connections.

The first legislative interim meetings of the year take place Monday, Jan. 12, through Tuesday, Jan. 13. Also, next Tuesday is the annual Issues and Eggs Legislative Breakfast put on by the Charleston Area Alliance, where state Senate President Randy Smith, R-Preston, and House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, provide business leaders a preview of policy priorities.

Then at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 14, the Legislative gavels in, starting a 60-day countdown that won’t end until midnight on Saturday, March 14, when the Legislature gavels out sine die (a fun Latin word that means the session is over for the year). At 7 p.m. that evening, Morrisey will lay out his legislative agenda and hand Smith and Hanshaw his proposed budget bill for the fiscal year 2027 general revenue budget.

I always liken the annual legislative session to football season, with day 60 being the Super Bowl. For those 60 days, the State Capitol Building will be home to 134 lawmakers, hundreds of legislative staff, dozens of reporters, more lobbyists than you can shake a stick at, interest groups with tables set up trying to get the attention of anyone walking by, pages and other school-age children. The upper rotunda will be crowded and loud, much like a football stadium in many ways.

For 60 days, lawmakers will slog through thousands of bills, get bogged down in arguments and debates on amendments, and ultimately only pass around 10% of the total number of bills introduced. I and my colleagues will be here at the Capitol to chronicle it all.

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Each session, there is inevitably a story that goes viral that is a non-story. Last year, it was a proposed non-binding resolution to rename Spruce Knob “Trump Mountain.” More often than not, these stories get spread by either inexperienced statehouse reporters or news outlets looking for that perfect clickbait story.

If you have not read my legislative coverage or followed me on social media before, you’ll notice I don’t do that. For one thing, I very rarely cover legislation that doesn’t make it to a committee agenda or a floor vote. Anything that doesn’t have the potential of making it before a major House or Senate committee or subcommittee is a waste of my time and a waste of your time. Anything that doesn’t get debated on the floors of the House and Senate is not worth your time.

Some news outlets have teams of reporters that can cover different committees and angles. I am one news reporter for an entire chain of newspapers who covers both the House and the Senate. Much like Dr. Hawkeye Pierce on M.A.S.H., I have to do triage and focus on the bills that get the most attention from committee chairs. Much like the Tyrannosaurus Rex in Jurassic Park, I focus on what is moving through the House and Senate.

So, before you get performatively mad at a lawmaker for a bill or resolution they introduce, take a breath and wait and see if it gets taken up by a committee first. It’s easy to introduce a bill or resolution. In fact, anyone can do it and get a lawmaker to sponsor it. Last year, 2,460 bills were introduced, but only 249 bills completed the legislative process and 232 of those bills were signed by Morrisey. Most bills never get taken up, let alone voted on.

And remember, as dumb as some House and Senate resolutions can be, resolutions are non-binding and have zero force of law. Of the 249 various types of resolutions introduced last year, only 108 completed the legislative process (resolutions do not need the approval or veto of the governor).

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If you are a citizen who makes it to the Capitol during the regular session, be sure to stop by the Capitol Press Room in the basement of the Capitol Building down the hall from the Capitol Cafeteria.

There are far fewer of us covering the legislative session these days, but there are reporters from various media outlets working hard during the session to keep you informed. We would love to hear from you in person.