In The News

As much as we might hope and pray an easy answer could be found to preventing mass killings in our schools, it will not happen. Tackling the threat will require real, thoughtful effort.Good for U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and a bipartisan group of other lawmakers who have stopped talking and begun doing something to protect our children.Capito, R-W.Va., is among co-sponsors of the proposed Students, Teachers and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018, or STOP. Their plan would... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a bipartisan group of 21 other senators on Monday announced support for a school safety bill in response to the Valentine's Day mass shooting at a Florida high school.The legislation funds school security improvements and invests in early intervention and prevention programs aimed at stopping school violence. But it does nothing to expand background checks or curb access to weapons — gun-control measures Marjory Stoneman... Read More

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has unanimously passed legislation to advance pediatric cancer research and child-focused cancer treatments.The Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act also aims to improve childhood cancer surveillance and provide resources for survivors and those impacted by childhood cancer.The bipartisan bill was written by U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., and was introduced... Read More

A bipartisan group of senators introduced new legislation on Tuesday that would create new restrictions on opioids and increase funding levels for grant programs to fight opioid abuse in anticipation of more funding coming next month.The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act 2.0 aims to complement legislation of the same name that was signed into law in July 2016. It would raise the funding authorization levels for CARA grant programs enacted that year to fight opioid abuse, and create new... Read More

Hundreds of jobs are expected to be shifted to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) facility in Clarksburg as part of the FBI Headquarters Consolidation Project.The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works held a hearing Wednesday morning to discuss that project with representatives of the FBI Finance Division and the General Services Administration (GSA) Public Buildings Service.“In the revised plan, there is a plan if consolidation occurs... Read More

CLARKSBURG — The field of biometrics — the study and identification of characteristics or information specific to one individual — has existed for more than 100 years.While speaking at Friday’s opening ceremony for the Department of Defenses’s new Defense Forensics and Biometrics Agency, which is located on the FBI’s Clarksburg campus in the Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Maj. Gen. David Glaser told a story about how the discipline... Read More

HUNTINGTON – Recently passed federal legislation is already benefiting small businesses, workers and their families, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito told local leaders Wednesday.Capito, R-W.Va., and U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., spoke with small business owners and local leaders in Huntington during an invitation-only roundtable discussion.According to a news release, Capito said the discussion focused on how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act benefits, as well as other solutions that could... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Middle school students in Charleston are learning about the dangers of drugs and what to do about peer pressure before they enter high school.U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined Chad Napier with the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area during an assembly at John Adams Middle School Wednesday to talk to students about drug prevention.“I think the students know a lot more than what we think, but I think they need to know that they can... Read More

WASHINGTON – West Virginia has become the first state to receive federal funding to treat babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va.Through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal policy allows the West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services to fund centers like Lily's Place, where first lady Melania Trump visited in October to meet staff and newborn patients face to face."This designation will allow us to... Read More

Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) introduced a bill on Tuesday aimed at promoting internet access in rural communities.The Rural Reasonable and Comparable Wireless Act would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to implement a benchmark for rural internet access that is "reasonably comparable" to urban areas.“Now, more than ever, broadband is a powerful tool that students and businesses need to compete in a global digital economy,” Capito... Read More

The Trump administration approved a waiver Tuesday to allow West Virginia to offer treatment for newborns suffering from opioid withdrawal.West Virginia is the first state to get a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to treat Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome through Medicaid. The state has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic, which federal data show killed more than 42,000 Americans in 2016. In 2016, 884 West Virginia residents died from an opioid overdose, according to the... Read More

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION — Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. told students at Wildwood Middle School Monday the importance of leadership and getting involved in the community, her journey to the Senate and important items currently facing the Senate.When asked why she decided to get into politics, she said the decision stemmed from her childhood.“I was raised in politics, and I grew up going to parades, listening to political talks and going around the table with my family talking about... Read More

While much has been said in recent weeks about the new federal tax overhaul bill, the one thing that ultimately matters to taxpayers is the level of additional take-home pay they will receive.According to the IRS, about 90 percent of all American workers should see bigger paychecks beginning this week. Those who have not yet seen an increase in take-home pay shouldn’t panic, as employers have until Feb. 15 to implement the new federal withholding guidelines.The amount of extra cash workers... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s public employees, not including teachers, will see at least $50 million more collectively in their paychecks in the coming year under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the federal tax overhaul, according to an analysis from the West Virginia Auditor’s Office.Starting last Friday, changes to tax withholding tables were in effect for state paychecks.Among the more than 40,000 state workers and employees of West Virginia University and Marshall... Read More

Much of the credit for a rejuvenated U.S. economy seems to be going to Congress and President Donald Trump for their efforts to reform the job-killing federal tax code. Indeed, news of the change seems to have been the catalyst for decisions by many companies to build new facilities and pay employees more.But an unseen tax, the cost of complying with unnecessarily burdensome regulations, is being reformed, too. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to ask.On Jan. 9, Sens. Shelley Moore Capito,... Read More

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Optimism was in the air Wednesday at Worldwide Equipment, Inc. as U.S. Vice President Mike Pence took the stage.Accompanying him was Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Senator Shelley Moore Capito. Before Pence took the stage, Worldwide Equipment CEO Terry Dotson made a highly anticipated announcement. The business specializes in truck parts and sales.The company’s roughly 1,100 employees across their 20 locations have received bonuses, a dealership... Read More

You know - or maybe you are - one of our nation's dedicated family caregivers.An estimated 40 million Americans and 300,000 West Virginians are working regularly to provide at-home care for their parents, spouses, children or other adults with disabilities. Some days they help their loved ones eat, bathe and dress. Other days it might be taking them to the doctor or shopping for their groceries or other needs. For many, these volunteer duties also include managing finances and helping to make... Read More

MORGANTOWN — Education.Physical fitness.Self confidence.With the proper application of these building blocks there’s no limit to what the future holds for the girls of West Virginia.U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R W.Va., explained as much on Jan. 12, during a chat with fifth-grade girls at Skyview Elementary.The visit was part of West Virginia Girls Rise Up, a program started by Capito in 2015 with the goal of instilling confidence in young women, empowering them to take up... Read More

WASHINGTON - Help for West Virginia's more than 300,000 adult caregivers could be on the horizon thanks to a new piece of legislation making its way to President Donald Trump's desk.The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act was passed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, confirming the House of Representatives' version of the bill that passed in December.The RAISE Act mandates the secretary of health and human services, working with federal agencies and a Family... Read More

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A U.S. Department of Agriculture body released Monday a list of recommendations focused on ways to boost rural communities and expand these regions’ businesses. The recommendations included steps to increase access to capital, grow agricultural production and further develop the country’s infrastructure and internet access.The report was released the same day as President Donald Trump’s appearance before attendees of the American Farm Bureau Annual... Read More