A woman was removed from the West Virginia House of Delegates during a public hearing on February 9 after she began listing corporate donations received by members of the legislature.
Lissa Lucas, who is running for a seat in the House, was told that she would be considered “out of order” if she made personal comments about members of the committee after she began listing donations given by companies associated with the energy industry.
Lucas was talking during a public consultation on House Bill 4268, which Newsweek said would allow gas companies to drill on minority mineral owners’ land without their consent. Under the current system, all owners of the land must agree to the work.
Despite the warning, Lucas continued to list donations given by corporate groups, prompting her microphone to be cut off. Lucas can be heard continuing to speak as she is led out of the chamber.
Lucas said on her website that as she was being made to leave, she shouted “Montani Semper Liberi”, Latin for “mountaineers are always free”, the motto of West Virginia. Credit: West Virginia Legislature via Storyful
