House Bill 3412, pushed by Speaker Roger Hanshaw, would have given lawmakers the ability to exempt themselves from the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)—the very law that keeps government accountable to the people. Thankfully, the bill failed to pass. But the damage to Hanshaw’s credibility is very noticeable.
Let’s be clear: transparency is not optional in a free republic. It’s a foundational principle. Real conservatives understand that government must be limited, accountable, and subject to scrutiny from the people it serves. When a politician moves to shield himself and his colleagues from that scrutiny, he’s not acting like a Republican—he’s acting like a Democrat.
Hanshaw’s bill would have stripped the public’s right to access vital records—emails with lobbyists, constituent correspondence, travel expenses—and replaced it with vague “rules” written by lawmakers themselves. That’s not reform. That’s evasion. And it’s the exact type of behavior West Virginians sent a Republican supermajority to Charleston to stop.
The Speaker claims this wasn’t a “carve-out,” but when you try to rewrite public transparency laws to suit your own branch of government, that’s exactly what it is. It’s the kind of insider politics conservatives have been fighting against for decades. It’s bureaucratic elitism masquerading as leadership.
Let’s call this what it is: Roger Hanshaw is a RINO—Republican in Name Only. He governs like a backroom-dealing, rule-changing bureaucrat.
What makes this more dangerous is that Hanshaw leads the very chamber that should be upholding constitutional principles. Instead, he’s trying to cut corners, dodge accountability, and eliminate public input—just like when House Republicans scrapped public hearings at the start of the session. This is a trend, and it’s not one that reflects conservative values.
Thankfully, grassroots outrage and watchdog scrutiny helped keep this bill from becoming law. But the fact that it got this far, with the Speaker’s full backing, should alarm every voter who cares about liberty, transparency, and good governance.
If the Republican Party in West Virginia wants to maintain the trust of the people, it needs to clean house—starting with leadership that’s forgotten who they work for.
Conservatism doesn’t mean bigger government for different people. It means smaller government, accountable government, and open government. Speaker Hanshaw may carry the “R,” but his actions show he’s not carrying the principles.
It’s time for true conservatives to take back the House of Delegates.
