Author: Brian Skinner

As a lawyer working in the state legislative branch for nearly 15 years, Brian understands the complicated intricacies of lobbying very well. He has made his living working alongside policy makers and elected officials, having a front row seat to the political maneuvering that takes place inside our nation’s state houses. Before joining the team at H2C, Brian served as Counsel and Chief of Staff to the Minority Caucus of the West Virginia Senate, where he assisted the caucus in enacting legislation and advancing policies. Prior to that, he was General Counsel to the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health where he acted as the strategic advisor and chief legal officer to then Commissioner and State Health Officer, Dr. Rahul Gupta. Brian worked with the Bureau’s leadership to implement key public health initiatives including: Combatting the Opioid Drug Crisis: Provided legal and strategic advice to the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health’s executive leadership team’s opioid crisis response efforts. West Virginia’s data-driven approach to identifying populations at high risk for overdose has served as a national model. He helped develop and implement policies for a number of pioneering public health initiatives such as the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Birthscore program to identify high-risk infants, and expanded access to the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, syringe exchange and medication-assisted treatment. Brian also drafted and worked to enact legislation creating the West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy. Launching WV’s Medical Cannabis Program: Led the Bureau’s efforts to establish the Office of Medical Cannabis, including developing regulations, writing policies and procedures, establishing contracts, and assisted in hiring staff, including the office director. Made presentations throughout the state on the requirements of the Medical Cannabis Act. Strengthening Compulsory Immunization Laws: Drafted and advocated for successful legislation reforming the process for evaluating medical exemptions. Worked closely with legislators, medical professionals and citizens to address concerns regarding the state’s compulsory immunization requirements and those interested in maintaining the state’s high immunization rates. Updating Emergency Medical Service Personnel Certifications: Provided legal counsel to the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services to update requirements for the certification of emergency service personnel and to develop and implement a community paramedicine program. Providing legal counsel and compliance advice to various offices within the Bureau including: Center for Local Health (the liaison between the Bureau for Public Health and the 49 autonomous local boards of health and health departments in West Virginia.) Center for Threat Preparedness Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Office of Drug Control Policy Office of Emergency Medical Services Office of Environmental Health Services Office of Epidemiology and Prevention Services Office of Laboratory Services Brian also served as chief counsel for the West Virginia House of Delegates, Committee on the Judiciary, where he advised the committee chair on legal and political issues related to pending legislation. In this role, he provided research and legal analysis services to legislative interim committees, legislative standing committees, and individual legislators on actual or proposed legislation or subjects of general legislative concern. Brian has also operated his own legal office, during which he also worked as a part-time Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. He started his legal career practicing law at public interest firms (Mountain State Justice, Inc. and Appalachian Research & Defense Fund, Inc.), but has also served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division and an adjunct professor with the West Virginia University College of Law’s Clinical Law Program. Brian earned his law degree from West Virginia University College of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Business (Management Information System) from Alderson-Broadus College. He currently resides in Columbus, Ohio and is the father of three adult children — a sailor in the U.S. Navy, a Marine Second Lieutenant, and a student at West Virginia University. Brian is licensed to practice law in both West Virginia and Ohio.

Debriefing the 2021 WV Legislative Session – COVID-19

Brian Skinner April 23, 2021 COVID-19, Legislation

By Brian Skinner, Esq. As expected, one of the priorities of the Legislature going into the 2021 regular session was addressing the concerns of businesses and health care providers that they were likely to beset by a wave of pandemic-related lawsuits seeking to blame them for customer, patient, or employee exposure to COVID-19. In response …Read More

Bipartisan Policy Center Forming Opioid Task Force

Brian Skinner April 21, 2021 Opioid Drug Crisis

The United States, especially West Virginia, is seeing significant increases in drug addiction and overdose deaths while at the same time battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary CDC data show that more than 90,000 Americans died from drug overdose deaths from October 2019 to September 2020, a nearly 30% increase from the previous year. The Substance Abuse and …Read More

Debriefing the 2021 WV Legislative Session – Firearms

Brian Skinner Firearms, Legislation

By Brian Skinner, Esq. During the 2021 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature, 45 bills and one joint resolution were introduced that involve firearms in one way or another — 17 bills and one joint resolution in the Senate and 28 bills in the House of Delegates. Of the 45 bills introduced, six were …Read More

Debriefing the 2021 WV Legislative Session – Women’s Health

Brian Skinner April 19, 2021 Health Care, Legislation, Women's Health

By Brian J. Skinner, Esq. During the 2021 regular legislative session, approximately 19 bills were introduced that would have impacted women’s health, if enacted. While the vast majority of the introduced legislation were related to abortion, three bills, unrelated to abortion, were enacted and are likely to increase women’s access to health care. The first …Read More

Debriefing the 2021 WV Legislative Session – Marijuana

Brian Skinner April 14, 2021 Legislature, marijuana

By Brian Skinner, Esq. Even though a total of 17 bills related to marijuana were filed for introduction in the West Virginia Senate and House during the 2021 legislative session, only two received any consideration and none crossed the finish line to become law. Of those 17 bills, three would have lowered or extinguished …Read More

The Importance of Communication to the Successful Implementation of a Medical Cannabis Regulatory Program.

Brian Skinner February 8, 2021 Medical Cannabis, State Government

By Brian Skinner, Esq. It has been now over three years since legislation was enacted creating West Virginia’s Medical Cannabis Program. The Office of Medical Cannabis (OMC) recently completed the process of awarding grower, processor and dispensary permits and is now registering patients. It appears that medical cannabis products may be available for sale by …Read More

W.Va. House, Senate Prepare for Session in a Pandemic

Brian Skinner February 2, 2021 Legislature

West Virginia Public Broadcasting | By Emily Allen | Published January 26, 2021 Almost a year after adjourning last March, lawmakers returned to the state capitol early in January to prepare for the upcoming legislative session. But this time, they wore face masks. Some had to work away from the floor, in spectator galleries, apart from the …Read More

HHS eliminates LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections.

Brian Skinner January 14, 2021 Adoption, Government & Policy, LGBTQ

By Paige Winfield Cunningham, – Washington Post – January 13, 2021. The Department of Health and Human Services has finalized a rule change that will permit social-service providers that receive government funds to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “Critics claim the new guidance could have wide-ranging implications for agencies that …Read More

Drug and Health-Focused Groups Urge Incoming Biden Administration to Address Opioid Abuse and End the Drug War

Brian Skinner Government & Policy, Opioid Drug Crisis

By Brian Skinner, Esq. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that more than 200 drug and health-focused groups are urging the incoming Biden administration to address opioid abuse and end the drug war. The letter calls on the incoming administration to take bold, decisive, evidence-based action that shifts the government’s response to substance use. The The …Read More

Report recommends states eliminate regulations on telehealth and on methadone and buprenorphine that are more restrictive than federal guidelines.

Brian Skinner December 21, 2020 COVID-19, Medication-Assisted Treatment, Opioid Drug Crisis

By Brian Skinner, Esq. A new report from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health offers recommendations aimed at federal, state, and local policymakers to address the opioid epidemic during the pandemic, which has seen sharp increases in fatal and nonfatal overdoses. The report “Saving Lives From Overdose During a Pandemic” draws from …Read More