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Senate Judiciary Adopts 5 Bills

Senate Committee

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January 21, 2020

The Senate Judiciary Committee met at 3:00 PM today to discuss four bills, all of which were adopted to be reported to the full Senate with recommendation for passage.

The first of these bills was SB 201, which discusses stalking and harassment charges in the state. The purpose of the bill is to generally clarify the elements of harassment and what counts for an offense.

The committee also passed two bills on the promulgation of rules and regulations, one for the Department of Revenue and one for the Department of Transportation.

The committee also adopted SB 509, which would work to provide venue for custody allocation actions in situations that do not involve divorce. This would primarily apply to family situations in which the parents of a child were never married.

House Passes Six Bills

House Floor Session

Juliet Thomas

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January 21, 2020

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The House passed six bills Tuesday, including one measure that aims to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.

The House convened at 11 a.m., passing House Bills 4020, 4062, 4108, 4130 and 4141.

House Bill 4062 reduces the price of prescription drugs from single use manufacturers by redirecting the rebates from pharmacies directly to the insured consumer.

House Bill 4130 relates to bidding for government construction contracts arising out of declared states of emergency. The bill is a result of the West Virginia floods in the summer of 2016. This bill is effective from passage.

House Bills 2086, 4077, 4119, 4117 and 4419 were advanced to third reading. Action for House Bill 4275, relating to the Fire Commission, was postponed for one day. This bill is still on second reading with an amendment pending.

House Bills 4094, 4058 and House Joint Resolution 102 were advanced to second reading.

The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Three Senate Bills Advance to the House

Senate Floor Session

Madison Perdue

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January 21, 2020

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The Senate convened at 11:00 AM today to vote on the passage of three bills on third reading, all of which passed and will advance to the House.

The first bill to receive a vote was SB 125, which will prohibit victims in sexual assault cases from undergoing certain physical examinations. The bill was made to protect the privacy of these individuals and the argument was made that such examinations may not be sufficient for evidence in their case.

The Senate then passed SB 217, which requires the Department of Health and Human Resources to collaborate with the Workforce Development Board and the WV Division of Personnel for job placement.

The final bill to be passed was SB 323, which authorizes Department of Administration to promulgate rules relating to legislation.

The Senate also introduced bills 550-574 and referred them to the appropriate committees.

Additionally, the Senate approved Senate Resolution 10, which designates January 21 as West Virginia University Day. The Senate held a brief recess for the presentation of this resolution by WVU staff.

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

The Senate Committee on Energy, Industry and Mining will meet at 1:00 PM in room 208W.

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

The Senate Committee on Government Organization 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.

Senate Military Adopts 5 Bills

Senate Committee

Madison Perdue

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January 21, 2020

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The Senate Military Committee met at 10:00 AM today to discuss five bills, all of which were adopted and referred to an additional committee for further consideration.

These bills included SB 8, which would exempt certain military veterans from fees for the license to carry a deadly weapon. This bill was adopted by the Military Committee and advanced to the Senate Finance Committee before it will be reported to the full Senate.

The committee also approved SB 30, which would expand the expiration date of driver’s licenses for the spouses of military members. The bill was advanced to the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

SB 114 was adopted as well, which provides eligibility for developmental disability services to people who are dependent on military members. This bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

Senate Natural Resources Adopts 7 Bills

Senate Committee

Madison Perdue

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January 20, 2020

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The Senate Committee on Natural Resources met at 1:00 PM today to discuss 7 bills, all of which were adopted to be reported to the full Senate.

These bills included SB 470, which allows bolts and arrows 16 inches or larger with a broad head to be used for hunting in West Virginia. The crossbow must also have a working safety and a minimal draw weight of 125 lbs.

Another bill that was discussed was SB 469. The bill would increase replacement costs for protected species and game. The bill would also add hunting and fishing license revocation provisions, and increase replacement costs for antlered deer.

The committee also adopted SB 501. The purpose of the bill is to add the protection, maintenance, and operation of the Elk River Trail as part of the Parks and Recreation section of the Division of Natural Resources.

House Passes Oil and Gas Legislation

House Floor Session

Juliet Thomas

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January 20, 2020

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A bill allowing for expedited oil and gas well permits upon payment of the expedited fees passed the House Monday.

The House convened Monday at 11 a.m., passing two bills including House Bill 4091. Under this bill, one half of any residual fees would be deposited with the Oil and Gas Operations Permit and Processing Fund, and the other half of the funds would be deposited with the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund, which is used to plug orphaned wells across the state.

Both funds are currently severely underfunded.

The House also passed House Bill 4010 and postponed House Bill 4062.

House Bills 4017, 4020, 4108, 4130 and 4141 were advanced to third reading. House Bills 2086, 4077, 4119, 4275, 4417 and 4419 were advanced to second reading.

House Bills 4420- 4434 were introduced Monday. Three resolutions, HCR 19, HCR 20 and HJR 107 were introduced.

The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Senate Passes Three Bills

Senate Floor Session

Madison Perdue

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January 20, 2020

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The Senate met at 11:00 AM today to discuss three bills on the third reading, which were all passed and advanced to the House for further consideration.

These bills included SB 16, which creates the Protect Our Right to Unite Act. The purpose of this bill is to protect the privacy of people’s membership in a public agency.

The Senate also passed SB 42, which allows county boards of education to include faith-based electives in drug and violence prevention programs in schools.

SB 225 was also passed, which allows municipalities to enact Adopt-A-Street programs. These programs would encourage public awareness of littering by hosting volunteer-lead cleanups of streets.

Senate bills 192, 297, 307, and 322 were read for the first time today and will advance to the amendment stage tomorrow morning.

During the floor session, Senate bills 535-549 were introduced and referred to the appropriate committees.

The Senate also approved Resolution 10, which designates January 20th as Down Syndrome Awareness Day. The Senate held a brief recess for the presentation of this bill and the recognition of the Down Syndrome Network of West Virginia.

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

The Senate Natural Resources Committee will meet at 1:00 PM in room 208W.

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.

House Passes Six Bills, Postpones One

House Floor Session

Juliet Thomas

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January 17, 2020

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The House convened Friday at 11 a.m. Six bills were passed, and one bill, H.B. 4010, was postponed one day.

This bill changes the licensing requirements for certain casino employees. It changes the requirement from a license to a registration in some circumstances. The bill also amends several parts of state code that deals with licensed racetrack facilities, table games, and casino lottery systems.

Three bills were advanced to third reading. This includes House bills 4062, 4091 and 4096.
Five Bills were advanced to second reading. This set of bills includes House Bills 4017, 4020, 4108, 4130 and 4141.

House Bill 4017 establishes country roads accountability and transparency website. The website is directed by the State Auditor with the purpose of compiling data to create a searchable website of funding actions or expenditures that relate to state and public roads. This allows taxpayers to see exactly where and how the state is spending their tax dollars to repair and build new roads. Taxpayers will also be able to access the budgeted money and results for each project.

Three House Resolutions were introduced today, H.C.R 16, 17 and 18. House Bills 4395-4413 were also introduced.

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

Senate Passes 6 Bills

Senate Floor Session

Madison Perdue

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January 17, 2020

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The Senate convened at 11:00 AM today to vote on six bills.

These bills included SB 35, which limits the civil penalty for littering to $2,000 or lower.

The Senate also passed SB 46, which allows pepper spray cannisters 1 oz or smaller to be carried in the state Capitol building, and declassifies pepper spray as a deadly weapon.

Senate Bills 140, 170, 207 and 310 were also pass and will be advanced to the House for further consideration.

Senate bills 16, 225 and 42 were read for the third time and will be up for a vote Monday Morning.

Senate bills 125, 217 and 323 were read for the first time and will advance to the amendment stage Monday morning.

The Senate is adjourned until 11:00 AM on Monday, January 20, 2020.

Health and Human Resources Amends Major Foster Care Bill

House Committee

Juliet Thomas

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January 17, 2020

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Health and Human Resources Amends Major Foster Care Bill

Thursday’s Health and Human Resources Committee Meeting focused on foster care legislation.
One bill legislators took up Thursday afternoon was House Bill 4094, relating to the duties of the Foster Care Ombudsmen (FCOP), which outlines several duties of the FCOP.

The bill states that the Department of Health and Human Resources will pay Child Placing Agencies a minimum daily rate of $75 for services provided to each child in placement. The Child Placing Agency will then reimburse foster parents at least 40% of the minimum daily rate for services provided to each child in the foster family home. Families fostering through the department, will be provided at least $900 per month for each child placed in the home. This legislation increases the compensation for foster parents.

An amendment offered, and later adopted by committee members, proposed to include kinship families in the payment raise. Certified kinship families would also receive $900 per month for each child place in their home.

This amendment sparked debate within the committee. Many delegates were concerned about the financial effect of the pay increase. Also, some were concerned about how this legislation would affect the adoption process within the state.

Delegate Jeffrey Pack, R- Raleigh, showed his support for this amendment during the committee meeting.

“If I’m never apart of anything else, I would be happy to support this bill,” Pack said. “I would die a happy man because this bill does so much good for our foster kids.”

Friday, the bill was examined in the House Judiciary Committee. The bill passed as amended, with no additional changes.

The bill will go to the Committee of Finance next.