CORRIDOR CHRONICLE
Hanshaw, Harrison chosen again
by Ron GregoryCharleston – The incoming Republican majority of the House of Delegates has nominated House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, to continue serving as Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates for the upcoming 85th Legislature.
Hanshaw was nominated by acclamation during GOP delegates’ initial party organization caucus Sunday afternoon at the statehouse.
“I am honored and humbled to once again be nominated to lead the House in the coming Legislature,” Hanshaw said. “The GOP majority has worked diligently since 2014 to pass bold, conservative reforms to help make West Virginia the best place to live, work and raise a family.
“While we’ve accomplished a lot so far, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a series of challenges we must address,” Speaker Hanshaw said. “These include doing more to ensure businesses stay open so our people have access to good-paying jobs, going further to expand broadband access across our state, and making sure our children receive a safe, thorough, quality education.”
Roger Hanshaw continued, “We will also continue our efforts to pursue pro-growth reforms that will attract new jobs and investment to our state. I believe we’ve laid a good foundation, and with additional work, we will see an acceleration of growth across our state as this pandemic ends.
“I look forward to hearing from my colleagues in both parties in the coming weeks as we craft an aggressive 2021 legislative agenda that will continue to help West Virginia reach its full potential.”
Hanshaw was first elected Speaker in August 2018, following the departure of former Speaker and current state Supreme Court Justice Tim Armstead, a Kanawha County legislator now serving as a non-partisan supreme court justice. He is the 58th Speaker of the House of Delegates, and only the second Republican to hold that title since the current state capitol was built in the 1930s.
First elected as a delegate in 2016, Hanshaw is a Clay County native and graduate of Clay County High School.
After earning an undergraduate degree from West Virginia University, Hanshaw earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame. He then returned to WVU, where he graduated with a J.D. from the College of Law and now works as an attorney in Charleston.
He lives at Wallback with his wife Kirsten and daughters Kathryn and Rebecca.
In addition to the Speaker nomination, House Republicans also nominated Steve Harrison to continue in his role as House Clerk. He is a former Kanawha House of Delegates member.
The formal elections for House Speaker and Clerk, as well as other House officers, will occur on the opening day of the 2021 legislative session, which is Jan. 13. As is standard following gubernatorial election years, the Legislature will then adjourn until Feb. 10, at which time it will begin its regular 60-day session.