Blog – Page 117

Senate Advances Bill to First Reading, Introduces 12 Others

Senate Floor Session

Madison Perdue

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January 13, 2020

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

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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.

House Judiciary Committee Approves Judicial Election Reform Bill

House Committee

Juliet Thomas

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January 9, 2020

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House Judiciary Committee Approves Judicial Election Reform Bill

The House Judiciary Committee convened on Thursday, Jan 9 to consider multiple bills including House Bill 2008. This is a piece of legislation that would reform part of the West Virginia code that deals with the election of justices for the Supreme Court of Appeals.

H.B. 2008 states that a second election is to be held if no candidate receives the majority of votes in an election. In this case where no judicial candidate receives more than 40% of votes during the nonpartisan elections, then the top two will face off during the November general election. If again neither candidate receives at least 40% of the total votes cast in an election for that division held concurrently with the general election, a runoff election will occur including only the two candidates. The state will reimburse the counties for the cost of this election.

During the meeting, it was made clear that the terms for Supreme Court of Appeals elections are not specifically embedded in the West Virginia Constitution. According to the Constitution, the terms shall be prescribed by law.

After a few minutes of questions and discussion, House Bill 2008 was approved by the Judiciary Committee and is to be reported to the House Floor with the recommendation that it passes.

Additionally, the Judicial Committee is reporting H.B. 3039, relating to a court’s consideration of the expression of a preference by a child in certain child custody matters, and H.B. 4004, relating to creating the West Virginia Sentencing Commission, to the floor with the recommendation that they do pass.

House Finance Hears Revenue Highlights

House Committee

Andrea Lannom

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January 9, 2020

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Revenue Secretary Dave Hardy presented highlights of the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, including a brief overview on a proposed Medicaid Families First Fund.

Hardy, along with Deputy Revenue Secretary Mark Muchow, addressed the House Finance Committee Monday morning, going over West Virginia’s revenue figures.

Hardy outlined the surplus in Medicaid, which he said is projected to be $309 million at the end of the 2020 fiscal year. Some of the reasons, he said, for this surplus included a drop in people enrolled in Medicaid, projected savings of $54.5 million from the DHHR’s pharmacy benefits program, and a 1.7% increase in the federal match.

One recommendation, which was mentioned in Gov. Jim Justice’s State of the State address Wednesday night, is the creation of a Medicaid reserve fund, named Medicaid Families First Fund. Establishing this fund would require legislative action. Hardy said the recommendation is for the Legislature to dedicate $150 million to that reserve fund. Hardy said five other states have created similar Medicaid reserve funds.

Other recommendations in the budget is to dedicate about $24 million base-building funds for CPS, about $19 million toward eliminating the wait list for the Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD) waiver, $2 million toward backpack programs, and $1 million toward food banks.

Senate Judiciary Approves Bill to Ensure Ballot Access for Voters with Disabilities

Senate Committee

Madison Perdue

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January 9, 2020

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Senate Judiciary Approves Bill to Ensure Ballot Access for Voters with Disabilities

The Senate Judiciary Committee met at 10:00 AM this morning to discuss Senate Bill 94, which was considered and recommended in December by the Joint Standing Committee. The purpose of this bill is to provide people with disabilities with the ability to vote via electronic absentee ballot. Under the bill, qualifying voters would automatically receive access to the electronic absentee ballot without having to reapply.

Representatives from the Secretary of State’s office explained that this bill will help West Virginians avoid lawsuits, promote the right for disabled persons to vote without assistance, and keep up with other states already utilizing this technology to make the ballot more accessible.

The bill was adopted and will be reported to the full senate with recommendation for passage.

Senate Introduces 95 Bills During Brief Floor Session

Senate Floor Session

Madison Perdue

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January 9, 2020

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Senate Introduces 95 Bills During Brief Floor Session

The Senate met at 11:00 AM to introduce Senate Bills 151-245 and refer them to the appropriate committees.

The bills introduced included Senate Bill 161. The purpose of the bill is to improve the repair and maintenance of state highways and roads. This bill will initiate the Enhanced Road Repair and Maintenance Program, as well as the Special Road Repair Fund. It has been referred to the Senate Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Also among the bills introduced is Senate Bill 211, which will discuss unlawful discrimination covered by the Fair Housing Act and the Human Rights Act. This bill will prohibit discrimination in employment and public accommodation places towards people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. This bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Additionally, Senate Bill 230 has been introduced, which discusses suicide prevention in schools. The bill would require the State Board of Education to provide all professional educators, including administration and staff in contact with students, with instruction on recognizing warning signs and resources for student suicide prevention. This bill has been referred to the new Select Committee on Children and Families.

The Senate is now in recess until 11:00 AM tomorrow.
The Senate Finance Committee will meet at 3:00 PM today in room 451M.

Governor Justice Delivers State of the State Address

House Floor Session

Juliet Thomas

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January 8, 2020

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Governor Justice Delivers State of the State Address

At 7 p.m. Governor Justice delivered the State of the State address with optimism for the current legislative session.

A conservative budget is planned for the session. On the top of the agenda, Governor Justice plans to dedicate funds for proposed legislation regarding the Medicaid Families First Fund. This would ensure that money is available to families that are in need. Another part of this plan would include eliminating the waitlist for the IDD waiver.

Governor Justice also hopes to make it a top priority to eliminate the Business Inventory Tax, starting this year and phasing it out over a time period. Another priority he mentioned included establishing an Intermediate Court of Appeals.

Other areas of the budget included dedicating funds to starting a new unit called the Narcotics Intelligence Movement, as well as funds for senior services, veteran care and childcare services.