Legislature to Stream Video of Floor Proceedings
In an ongoing effort to make the legislative process more accessible to the public, both houses of the West Virginia Legislature are being equipped to live stream video of chamber proceedings that can be viewed on most desktop browsers and mobile devices.
Senate President Jeff Kessler and House Speaker Tim Miley said cameras are currently being installed in the Senate and House chambers – the culmination of months of research and consultation – and full video streaming of floor sessions should be available midway through the regular legislative session, which begins Wednesday.
“Over the last several years, I’ve worked to increase public accessibility to Senators, as well as create a level of transparency in the legislature that never existed,” President Kessler said. “I am a proponent of public involvement in the legislative process. The more information the public has, the better the process works. I look forward to this next step in improving our electronic infrastructure.”
House Speaker Miley added, “This is a great way to make the legislative process more accessible and approachable to anyone with an interest in our work. It’s also my hope that civics and social studies classrooms across the state will tune in during the legislative session to view the floor sessions and discuss how a bill becomes law.”
Both the House and Senate have been streaming audio of their proceedings for several years, and have been incrementally moving forward on improving electronic infrastructure.
“We have been considering for some time how to best integrate video with our current audio system, and I am pleased that the House, Senate and Legislative Services were able to collaborate to find the best technology for both houses,” the Speaker said.
President Kessler and Speaker Miley said they have updated incoming Senate President Bill Cole and incoming House Speaker Tim Armstead on the project.
A link to video will be provided on the Legislature’s web site, www.legis.state.wv.us.
Contact: Stacey Ruckle (304) 340 3365