STEPHEN BALDWIN FOR WV STATE SENATE!

   

     This November, West Virginia's 10th Senate district will decide who will be representing them in the West Virginia State Senate. We are currently represented by Senator Stephen Baldwin. A few things that most voters could tell you about the Senator are: 1. Senator Baldwin is a Presbyterian minister in Ronceverte, WV. 2. He is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. 3. He's a family man with a wife and an adorable little boy. 4. He is a Democrat. 5. Alongside his fellow Democrats, he stood up for Teachers and state employees in the Teacher strike earlier in 2018. 6. He has a Masters degree in Divinity from Vanderbilt University 7. He served the district as Delegate in the West Virginia House of Delegates previously 8. He has also served on the Greenbrier county School Board of Education.

     I first met Senator Baldwin a couple of years ago while attending a debate he was participating in as part of his 2016 campaign for Delegate. I've had conversations with the Senator, and I have always come away from those conversations with the feeling that West Virginia's 10th Senate district is in good hands. We may not always see eye to eye, but I know that the Senator is sincere and thoughtful concerning what he believes, and how he votes. For example, this past session, a bill was in front of the Senate that wanted to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in the state of West Virginia. The Amendment's purpose was to say that there is not a constitutional right to abortions in the state of West Virginia, with no exceptions. As I have stated before, the Senator is a Presbyterian Minister. The Senator wrestled with the decision of whether to vote for or against putting this amendment on the ballot. The Senator is pro-life, but chose to vote against the amendment because of the inclusion of "no exceptions". "No exceptions" means that rape, incest or scenarios threatening the life of the mother have no bearing on whether or not the state will allow an abortion to happen. The amendment punishes women in circumstances that may be out of their control and could threaten their lives. I applaud him for making this tough, and very considerate decision in an effort to look out for the health and well being of women. That's what the people of the 10th Senate district need, an individual that will do more than just take the "party line" on difficult issues. To read the Senate joint resolution 12, which is what the amendment is also known as, click the link below. Also, there is a video on the Senator's facebook page, where he discusses his difficult decision.

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SJR12%20SUB1%20ENR.htm&yr=2018&sesstype=rs&billtype=JR&houseorig=S&i=12

     During the Democratic primary Senator Baldwin was endorsed by WVEA, WV State Police Troopers Association, UMWA, WVSSPA, AFL-CIO and by AFT.

     This past session, the Senator introduced/sponsored bills to:

 1. Drug test legislators.

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=104&year=2018&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill

2. Establish tax credits for college graduates who remain in the state. I love this one, a sentiment I'm sure is shared by my fellow nurse and teacher friends.

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=105&year=2018&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill

3. Legalize sports betting. This will bring in much needed revenue for the state from a previously illegal activity that was happening regardless.

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=106&year=2018&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill

4. Provide teachers with tax credits for out of pocket classroom expenses.

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=538&year=2018&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill

5. Put some of the responsibilty for our current Opioid crisis back onto the opioid manufacturers.
     
http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=620&year=2018&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill

6. Create a non partisian group to redistrict the house of delegates, when appropriate.

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/legislative_session/wv-senate-committee-passes-single-member-district-bill/article_52cdfc88-34d7-5f6b-8a23-83095b0ba416.html


7. Secure funding for additional stream gauges for earlier flood warnings.

http://www.wvva.com/story/38658460/2018/07/Monday/wv-senator-baldwin-secures-funding-for-additional-stream-gauges


There are other bills as well, but these were my favorites.

     Senator Baldwin knows that a good economy cures a lot of ills in our state. That's why Senator Baldwin worked to save "Train Days" in Hinton. He was talking with Amtrak and the Governor's office to come up with solutions for a problem that would have been economically devastating for both Hinton and West Virginia. Thanks to Senator Baldwin, and his colleagues, Hinton's "Train Days" will continue.

http://www.wsaz.com/content/news/Amtrak-to-stop-operating-special-trains-and-charter-moves-478395953.html

      Senator Baldwin is well aware that the Opioid crisis is the elephant in the room that needs be addressed. Here is a recent facebook statement from Senator Baldwin concerning the Opioid crisis:
     "People call me asking for help each day. It breaks my heart when I can’t help them. Last week, three people called me looking for drug treatment options for their family members. 
Lord willing, I can soon refer them to Recovery Point West Virginia’s planned Mount Hope facility. It will have 140 beds for an abstinence-based program with proven results. Unfortunately, the operational funds they expected to receive from the state aren’t there due to budget cuts over the last few years.
I worked with local officials to arrange a meeting today to get all the players around the same table. Everyone expressed a desire to make it happen one way or another.
The drug crisis costs us $8.8BILLION per year. We spend $53/day to incarcerate a person. We can treat a person for less than half that.
Our region desperately needs this important tool so we can begin rebuilding our fractured families."

     The Senator recommends everyone read this article about the epidemic in our home state: https://www.thenation.com/article/kids-watching-parents-die/

     Candidates during the Democratic primary were asked to provide a candidate profile, Senator Baldwin provided his to the local newspaper, and his facebook page, which is where I found it. Here it is:

"CANDIDATE PROFILE for BECKLEY REGISTER-HERALD
April 5, 2018

Senator Stephen Baldwin is a native and resident of Ronceverte. He is married to his college sweetheart, Kerry, and they have a son, Harrison, who is 18 months old.

Stephen serves as pastor of Ronceverte Presbyterian Church, where he leads the congregation and runs a faith-based community service program he created in 2011. He was elected to the Greenbrier County Board of Education in 2012, the House of Delegates in 2016, and appointed to the Senate in 2017.

He practices transparency by keeping folks updated on social media and via regular newspaper columns. The community knows him as a “genuine” guy with a “reasonable” approach to public service.

What are the three most important problems the Legislature needs to address?

First, as a pastor and new father I’m convinced of the importance of being pro-all-of-life. Politicians in Charleston rightfully want to protect the unborn. As they absolutely should. But they lose focus on the value of life after that. What about children who go hungry when they’re not in school? What about abused and neglected children who are protected by agencies that have seen budget cut after budget cut? What about high school graduates who cannot find jobs here? What about women’s health care and the rare but real circumstances where childbirth threatens their lives? What about seniors who cannot afford their prescriptions? We must be pro-all-of-life. Numbers on spreadsheets and words on bills do not convey the weight of the fact that the legislature makes decisions that affect our lives. I believe in protecting the sacred value of life. All of it.

Second, we must enact a reasonable plan to stem the drug crisis. Law enforcement works hard every day on cutting the “supply” of drugs. We need to simultaneously focus our efforts on “demand.” We need treatments facilities, faith-based recovery programs, and drug courts. I offered a bill to pay for it all at no cost to taxpayers, by imposing a fine on the companies who made fortunes off our misery by selling millions of pills to every little town across the state, but the legislature rejected it. They were afraid of upsetting the drug companies. Unbelievable! Once folks are clean, they need jobs. A job provides purpose and hope for the future. It’s time for us to embrace the modern economy--tourism, creativity, technology, healthcare, rare metals (which power our technology), and industrial hemp. In doing so, we can improve our economy and stem the drug crisis in one fell swoop.

Third, the legislature itself is a big part of the problem. They are elected to help us, the people. But all too often, they use their office to help themselves. I’ve proposed and supported term limits, fully open primaries, campaign finance reforms, drug testing of legislators, and ending special session pay. Until we are represented by a group of our best and brightest who are there to help, without any personal agenda, we will not move forward as a state. No matter which party is in charge. The real issue is that we need good, genuine people who will be transparent about the policy choices they make. So please get out and vote!"

     

     It is clear from Senator Baldwin's bills and actions, where his priorities are: helping the working class, flood damage mitigation/recovery, adding revenue to our state budget and ending the opioid crisis. Senator Baldwin is exactly the person that the West Virginia 10th Senate district needs. That's why I will proudly vote for Senator Baldwin in November, and that's why I'm asking you to vote for him as well. If you want a West Virginia that works for the working class, that cares about the future, that wants a West Virginia that can support young people's dreams and aspirations, then you need to vote this November. I encourage you to vote for Senator Baldwin. Change only comes when we fight for it.

If you would like to read more about Senator Baldwin, search for "Senator Stephen Baldwin - WV" on facebook.







https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/health/wv-senate-nixes-proposal-to-force-drug-firms-to-disclose/article_709f6d4b-4ac1-5673-b1f1-3acbf18dc812.html

https://ballotpedia.org/West_Virginia_Amendment_1,_No_Right_to_Abortion_in_Constitution_Measure_(2018)

https://mountainmessenger.com/primary-review/


http://www.register-herald.com/news/q-a-stephen-baldwin-jr----democratic-candidate/article_f1a4d9cc-e331-593d-8ffa-35c109347cf1.html


http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Baldwin