Blog – Page 116

Veteran’s Affairs Committee Approves Two Bills

House Committee

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January 14, 2020

Veteran’s Affairs Committee Approves Two Bills

The House Veteran’s Affairs Committee adopted two bills Tuesday that will provide benefits for West Virginia veterans.

The purpose of House Bill 2330 is to allow honorably discharged and military reserves veterans with certain military ratings to take the examination for licensing as a plumber, electrician or sprinkler fitter. This would cut out the hour requirement for these professions, which can reach up to 12,00 hours for the master level. The committee advanced the bill, which next heads to the Committee on Government Organization.

House Bill 2627 would remove all fees for the initial issuance or renewal of a Silver Star registration plate. The committee also advanced this bill, which was also referenced to the Finance Committee.

Brandon Steele, R- Raleigh, hopes that the committee will do more research to see the possibility of including those with the Bronze Star rank within this bill. Currently, the number of veterans who hold this rank within the state is unknown to the committee. Steele said although there will be financial implications from this bill, he felt that the bills are ways to express gratitude to veterans.

Sentencing Committee Bill Amended, Moved to Third Reading

House Floor Session

Juliet Thomas

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January 14, 2020

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Sentencing Committee Bill Amended, Moved to Third Reading

House Bill 4004, relating to the West Virginia Sentencing Committee (WVSC), was amended during Tuesday’s floor session and advanced to third reading.

One of the most notable parts of the bill gives the WVSC the ability to research second-look sentencing, which is the process of reexamining excessive prison sentences and allowing a judge to resentence offenders based on variables such as rehabilitation and the length of sentence already served.

An amendment offered by Delegate Larry Rowe, D- Kanawha, included preventing disparate treatment of offenders based on racial, ethnic, cultural, economic or other factors.
This bill aims to make big changes within the state for criminal justice reform. This includes eliminating and fixing pre-existing racial and economic biases that exist within the system.

Delegate John Shott, R- Mercer, Chairman for the Judiciary Committee, voiced his support for Rowe’s amendment during the floor session. Shott also added his own technical amendment to the bill. Both amendments were adopted in a voice vote.
House bills 3039, 4007, 4022 and 4103 were also moved to third reading Tuesday.

The House is in recess until 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Senate Introduces 145 Bills, Approves Resolutions

Senate Floor Session

Madison Perdue

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January 14, 2020

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Senate Introduces 145 Bills, Approves Resolutions

The Senate met at 11:00 AM today, during which Senate bills 323-467 were introduced and referred to the appropriate committees.

During session, the Senate approved Resolution 1, which would designate dogs rescued from animal shelters as West Virginia’s state dog. The purpose of this resolution is to support adoption from animal shelters in the state.

The Senate also declared a brief recess to present Resolution 6, which recognized the Oil Marketers and Grocers Association (OMEGA) for its support for the Children’s Home Society, a nonprofit organization licensed to provide child welfare and behavioral health services in West Virginia. OMEGA hosts an annual charity golf outing and has raised thousands of dollars for this nonprofit organization.

The Senate also held the second reading of SB 94, concerning the absentee ballot for disabled voters. After technical amendments were applied, the bill was advanced, and will be up for passage tomorrow.

The Senate is adjourned until 11:00 AM tomorrow morning.

The Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 1:00 PM in room 451M.

The Senate Government Organization Committee will meet at 2:00 PM in room 208W.

The Senate Education Committee will meet at 2:00 PM in room 451M.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will meet at 3:00 PM in room 208W.

The Senate Finance Committee will meet at 3:00 PM in room 451M.

The Senate Committee on Interstate Cooperation will meet at 10:00 AM tomorrow in room 451M.

The Senate Workforce Committee will meet at 10:00 AM tomorrow in room 208W.

Senate Judiciary Approves 3 Bills

Senate Committee

Madison Perdue

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January 13, 2020

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The Senate Judiciary Committee met at 3:00 PM today to discuss three bills.

The first of these bills was SB 46, which would declassify pepper spray as a deadly weapon and allow all persons over 16 years of age to carry it in the West Virginia Capitol building. Senator Rucker of Jefferson county proposed that the bill be amended to limit the amount of pepper spray allowed in the Capitol to 1 oz or lower, since this was not specified in the original draft of the bill. This amendment was adopted, and the bill was adopted to be reported to the full senate with recommendation for passage.

The second bill to be discussed was SB 35, which would limit the civil penalty for littering to $2,000 or less. There was some deliberation regarding the bill, some questioning whether it would be possible or persons who could not afford the fee to work community service hours instead, and committee staff explained that while certain exceptions can be made, the purpose of the bill is to pay for the investigation and cleanup of the litter. The motion was adopted and will move to the full senate for passage.

The final bill presented was SB 207, which would create the Prosecuting Attorney’s Detectives Act. This bill would allow prosecuting attorneys to hire detectives, provide compensation for prosecuting attorneys’ detectives, and establish the duties and powers of those detectives. The bill was adopted and will be reported to the full senate for passage.

House Advances Five Bills to Second Reading

House Floor Session

Juliet Thomas

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January 13, 2020

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House Advances Five Bills to Second Reading

The House advanced five bills to second reading during Monday’s floor session.

The intention of House Bill 3039 is to remove language from the current state code that limits the priority preference of children to ages 14 and older in family courts. The purpose of this bill is to expand the court’s consideration to children of all ages that meet the maturity requirement.

House Bill 4004 would create the West Virginia Sentencing Commission and specify its powers and duties. The commission would be responsible for fulfilling needs for fair and uniform sentencing, a fair operation of the criminal justice system, established priorities regarding the severity of criminal offenses and the use of limited resources to fulfill the goal of criminal punishment. The purpose of this bill is to promote a better understanding of the state’s criminal justice sentencing system.

House Bill 4007 is known as the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and was also advanced to the amendment stage.

House Bills 4022 and 4103 were also advanced. House Bill 4022 clarifies the qualifications for the Chancellor of the Higher Education Policy Commission and House Bill 4103 relates to the office of drug control policy.

In addition to the bills advanced, the House introduced 50 new bills today.

The House is in recess until 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Senate Advances Bill to First Reading, Introduces 12 Others

Senate Floor Session

Madison Perdue

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January 13, 2020

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Senate Advances Bill to First Reading, Introduces 12 Others

The Senate met at 11:00 AM today. SB 94, which discussed absentee ballot accessibility for voters with disabilities, was approved for the first reading today, and will advance to the amendment stage tomorrow.

During the session, Senate Bills 311-322 were introduced and referred to the appropriate committees.

Among the bills introduced is SB 314, which would require insurance policies to provide certain emergency allergy medicine to persons 18 years or younger. The medication, injectable epinephrine, would come at no cost for the individual as long as the medication has been prescribed. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance.

Another bill to be considered is SB 317, which would create the Board for Professional Geologists. The Board would present rules for legislative approval, representing various geological interests in West Virginia. This bill has been referred to the Senate Government Organization Committee.

The Senate is in recess until 11:00 AM tomorrow.

Senate Finance will meet at 3:00 PM in room 451M.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will meet at 3:00 PM in room 208W.

State Department of Education Presents Budget Request

House Committee

Andrea Lannom

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January 13, 2020

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State Department of Education Presents Budget Request

The West Virginia Department of Education presented what the state superintendent described as a “very humble budget,” with no additional improvement package requests.

State Superintendent Steven Paine, Chief Financial Officer Terry Harless, and School Finance Director Amy Willard outlined highlights of the budget request during Monday morning’s House Education Committee meeting.

“These are some of the fewest changes I’ve seen in a budget presentation over recent years,” Harless said.

Education officials explained the budget is $2.5 billion and that state schools have experienced a decline in student enrollment. The total headcount for this school year is 261,633 students. Willard explained primary student enrollment dropped by 4,122 students from the 2019 fiscal year to the 2020 fiscal year.

Willard said there have been reductions in salary-related steps, affected by enrollment decline, allowances for professional educators, and allowances for service personnel. There has been increases in allowances for transportation. The department’s PEIA request is $5.8 million less due to a reduction in the reduction in positions across the state.

Other highlights of the budget included $2.5 million for school nutrition, which serves primarily as a match for $151 million in federal funds; the governor’s recommended $4.5 million improvement to the Communities in Schools program; $2 million dedicated toward backpack programs.

Willard said the 2021 fiscal year could be the first year the state sees increases in adult student enrollment resulting from Senate Bill 1, a bill seeking to increase access to community and technical college, which was passed last year. The department requested funding for counties that report an increase in enrollment.

House Introduces 20 Bills, Including Foster Care Legislation

House Floor Session

Juliet Thomas

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January 10, 2020

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House Introduces 20 Bills, Including Foster Care Legislation

Twenty bills were introduced in Friday’s House of Delegates floor session, including a few bills relating to foster care and adoption laws.

Three of these bills included House Bills 4080, 4092, and 4094. House Bill 4080 is a bill relating to petition for legal adoption. This bill amends part of state code, including accepting unverified petitions for adoption in the circumstance where a parent signed an adoption petition but died before it was verified. This would give the court the ability to examine the circumstances surrounding the petition and treat the petition as verified if the court decides the petition is in the best interest of the child.

House Bill 4092 focuses on changing several parts of state code, all relating to foster care. One of the changes would include creating a foster child and foster parent bill of rights and would further define the reasonable and prudent parent standard. The reasonable and prudent parent standard relates to the standard defined by parental decisions that clearly have the child’s best mental, emotional, and physical development as priorities.

House Bill 4094 relates to continuing and establishing new duties of the Foster Care Ombudsman (FCOP). The bill creates access to foster care children and records, establishes the confidentiality of investigations by the FCOP, and creates misdemeanor offenses for willful interference with an FCOP investigation.

All three bills are to be referred to the Committee on Health and Human Resources and then the Judiciary Committee.

The House is in recess until 11 a.m. Monday.

Senate Floor Session Introduces 65 Bills

Senate Floor Session

Madison Perdue

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January 10, 2020

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Senate Floor Session Introduces 65 Bills

The Senate met today at 11:00 AM to introduce Senate Bills 246-310 and refer them to the appropriate committees.

Among the bills introduced is SB 248, which would repeal law that requires additional registration fees on vehicles that use alternative fuels, a topic which has been considered controversial among West Virginia drivers. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The bills introduced also include SB 284, which would create the “Health Care Continuity Act”. The purpose of this bill is to reinforce the standards of healthcare coverage plans, make sure they remain affordable, and aren’t defined by the existence of preexisting conditions. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance.

Another bill to be considered is SB 303, which would initiate the “Students’ Right to Know Act”. The bill would require the state Board of Education to collect and communicate information on career landscapes for high school students. The purpose of the bill is to make students more aware of the costs of four-year colleges as well as alternative career paths. The bill has been referred to the Senate Education Committee.

The Senate is in recess until 11:00 AM on Monday.

Senate Finance Hears State Revenue Briefing

Senate Committee

Madison Perdue

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January 9, 2020

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Senate Finance Hears State Revenue Briefing

The Senate Finance Committee met at 3:00 PM to discuss the West Virginia fiscal picture for 2020. Deputy Revenue Secretary Mark Muchow gave a presentation covering the expectations for state revenue growth for the coming year, as well as how West Virginia fiscal growth compares to surrounding states and the national average.

Overall, West Virginia revenue growth is expected to slow. One factor of this, Muchow explained, is the fact that major pipeline investments have been temporarily put on hold. However, counties and schools are benefiting from the pipeline property tax.
The forecast also included a downward shift in tax revenue on to
bacco products, largely due to the federal decision to increase the legal age of purchasing tobacco products to 21.

Lower natural gas prices are expected, and natural gas and energy productions are expected to increase more slowly.

Expectations for areas of job growth are expected to shift as well. Currently, construction and health care sectors are the leading job growth areas. Retail trade is expected to decline, but employment opportunities in e-commerce are expected to rise.