The Senate reconvened at 11 p.m. to discuss H.C.R. 61, Applying to and urging Congress to call a convention of the states to limit the terms of office.
The Regular session ended before the Senate could vote on the Resolution.
The Legislature adjourned Sine Die.
RA
The House of Delegates, in the midst of concurrence with Senate amendments, motioned to reconsider House Bill 3143.
This bill relates to requirements for making consumer loans in West Virginia. The bill limits the loans where finance charges may be imposed and clarifies the need for a license from the Division of Financial Intuitions. The House had refused to concur with Senate amendments, but after more information was brought forward and stakeholders expressed their opinion on the bill it was reconsidered.
The House concurred with amendments made and was passed, completing its legislation.
House Bill 3139 creates the PEIA rainy day fund. This bill changes certain requirements imposed on the PEIA Finance Board. The house concurred with Senate amendments and was passed. The bill has now passed legislation.
Senate Bill 487 relating to admissibility of health care staffing requirements in litigation. The bill was committed to a conference to committee and the report was to be taken up by the chamber. After much debate the report of the committee was accepted and the bill finished legislation after passage.
TH
Various messages concerning legislation were received by the Senate prior to recess.
Nearing the end of the 84th Regular Session, the Senate received multiple messages urging the body to concur with changes offered by the House of Delegates. Of the concurred legislation were Senate Bills 365 and House Bills 2540 and 3044.
The House of Delegates continued consideration of Senate messages and completed legislative action on several noteworthy bills, such as House Bill 2503 and House Bill 2618.
The House had originally moved to refuse to concur with Senate amendments made to House Bill 2503, but Delegate Jeff Pack, R-Raleigh, a Delegate who had originally voted on the prevailing side, moved to reconsider.
The Senate amendments to House Bill 2503 would issue additional protections to unprotected parents who are seeking counsel, and it also provides a mechanism for individuals between the ages of 18-21 to have access to housing in the event that they are involved in an abuse and neglect case. Concern was raised in regards to how much latitude the Senate had to amend the bill, considering the original bill passed out of the House was more narrow.
After a lengthy debate, the House reconsidered and concurred with the Senate’s changes and passed the bill 74-25.
House Bill 2618 also completed legislative action on this day. This bill would include undue influence as a factor in the definition of financial exploitation of an elderly person or protected person. The Senate’s changes to the bill improve the structure of the language within the bill, as well as create a cause of action in magistrate and circuit court where an elderly person or incapacitated adult is suffering financial exploitation due to the intentional misappropriation or misuse of funds or undue influence. The House unanimously concurred with the Senate changes.
House Bill 2540, House Bill 2474, and House Bill 2761 both underwent technical Senate amendments that were unanimously adopted.
The Senate refused to concur and requested that the Senate recede their amendments on House Bill 2709, a bill to exempt contact information for hunting license holders from public disclosure.
The House reconsidered their request of the Senate to recede their amendments on House Bill 3034, and ultimately concurred with the Senate amendments with further fiscal amendments.
The House of Delegates concurred with amendment to House Bill 3139. The amendment provided a source of funding for the bill.
House Bill 2193 was passed by the Senate without amendment and completed legislative action. This bill would provide a specific escheat of US savings bonds.
The House concurred with a Senate amendment to House Bill 2083 that removed findings and would require temporary identification cards be issued to individuals within 7 days of their request.
The House concurred in a vote of 54-45 with Senate changes to House Bill 2049 that would specify that private companies could not be held liable for attorney fees.
The House concurred with a title amendment to Senate Bill 622 in a vote of 57-42.
The House concurred with Senate changes to Senate Bill 410 that would issue administrative changes to the rule-making authority in the bill, thus completing legislative action.
The Senate reconvened at 9 p.m. to receive House messages.
Nine bills completed legislation including House Bill 2010, Relating to foster care. The bill would update the regulation of foster care in West Virginia. The bill does nine things which include:
The Senate also passed eight other bills. Those bills include the following:
All bills will be reported to Governor Justice to singed into law or vetoed.
The Senate is currently in session.
RA
A number of House messages were received by the Senate concerning legislation conference committee prior to their 8 p.m. deadline.
Following the arrival of conference report, the body passed multiple bills after concurring with amendments offered by the House.
Of the bills receiving conference reports were Senate Bill 522 and House Bills 2049, 2503, 2670, 3044 and 3143
The House of Delegates reconvened at 7:50 p.m. to discuss and concur with amendments made to House Bill 2079, removing certain limitations on medical cannabis grower, processor and dispensary licenses.
The bill does exactly as it says in the short title and the House of Delegates concurred with the Senate amendments made to it. The bill was passed and has now completed legislation.
Senate Bill 632 improves student safety. This bill requires safety and security checks from county boards and multi-county centers. They are required to upgrade the measures as necessary and report these to the WVDE annually. County boards must also ensure placement of video cameras in self-contained classrooms.
Amendments by the Senate were concurred with, the bill was passed and has completed legislation.
The House of Delegates will reconvene at 9 p.m.
TH
The House of Delegates continued to meet at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7 on the final day of session to continue taking up messages from the Senate and conference committee reports.
The House of Delegates established two conference committees to address disagreements between the two chambers and take up come to a compromise.
The House refused to recede on their changes to Senate Bill 522, a bill to create the Special Road Repair fund. A conference committee consisting of Delegate Vernon Criss, R-Wood, Delegate Daniel Linville, R-Cabell, and Jason Barrett, D-Berkeley was appointed to reach an agreement on the bill.
A conference committee was also appointed to come to a compromise on Senate Bill 405, a bill to increase the limit on additional expenses incurred in preparing a notice list for redemption. Delegate Jeff Pack, R-Raleigh, Delegate Tom Bibby, R-Berkeley, and Delegate Tim Tomblin, D-Logan were appointed to this conference committee, due to congregate at 7:30 p.m. in the Senate President’s Conference Room.
Conference committee reports for Senate Bill 317 and Senate Bill 596 were made available during this meeting. They will be taken up for consideration later tonight.
The Senate accepted the conference committee report for Senate Bill 295, relating to crimes against public justice.
Delegate Ray Hollen, R-Wirt, presented the report, which issued a compromise on a bill that would include court security officers in the definition of people who could be criminally prosecuted for obstructing a police officer, adding protection for court security personnel and bailiffs as it relates to the potential to charge individuals for obstruction of such officers. The compromise adds correctional officers to the list of security personnel, and makes several other changes.
The House adopted the conference committee report and Senate Bill 295 completed legislative action.
The House concurred with technical Senate amendments made to House Bill 2665, House Bill 2770, House Bill 2933, and House Bill 2807. All of these bills completed legislative action.
House Bill 2479, House Bill 2490, House Bill 2856, House Bill 2945 were all passed by the Senate on this day without amendment and completed legislative action as well.
The House of Delegates had consideration of changes that the Senate made to House Bill 2673. The changes consisted of allowing the state tax department to maintain administration of the plugging of orphaned gas and oil wells. The amendment didn’t operate in a way that changed the substance of the bill, so the House unanimously concurred.
The House of Delegates also adopted the Senate’s amendment to House Bill 2674, which seeks to expand the services issued by House Bill 2674 by combining provisions from House Bill 2882.
Changes made to House Bill 2947, a bill to expand telemedicine services in rural hospitals, was also concurred to by the House of Delegates. This bill would make a change to prohibit the use of telemedicine equipment in state emergency rooms.
The changes made to House Bill 2968 were also concurred to. This bill would add provisions to allow remote service units to bank communication terminals. The change that the Senate made would specify that a bank placing a remote service unit in the state would not have to have a physical presence in the state.
Changes made to House Bill 3131 consisted of removing the purview of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources to raise employees’ salaries. The amendment instead creates a merit system in which state hospital employees can receive raises. The amendment was concurred to by the House with little discussion.
Senate Bill 424 was read all three times after a suspension of Constitutional rules. This bill would issue a $10 million supplemental appropriation to the Governor’s Civil Contingency Fund. The bill was passed earlier by the Senate, and completed legislative action upon being passed out of the House without amendment.
The House is in recess until 9:00 pm. tonight, Saturday, March 9.
The Senate reconvened at 5 p.m. to discuss 64 nominations from Governor Justice presented to the Senate in Executive Message 3.
Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Confirmations approved all nominations on the list with the exception of number nine; bringing the list down from 65 to 64 nominees. The Senate unanimously approved all 64 nominees.
Eight Senate bills also completed legislation including Senate Bill 152, Relating generally to criminal offense expungement. The proposed legislation would authorize the expungement of certain misdemeanors and non-violent felonies from a person’s criminal record.
The other bills that completed legislation include the following:
All eight bills will be sent to the Governor to be signed into law or vetoed.
The Senate is currently in recess until 7:10 p.m.
RA
A message concerning a conference committee for Senate Bill 295 was accepted by the Senate, resulting in unanimous passage by the body.
Sen. Greg Boso, R-Nicholas, rose to describe contents of the message which detailed that a conference committee containing members of both houses met, resulting in the House adopting the Senate’s position on the bill, while also adding language which will become effective in 2020. Following the reading of the message members motioned to adopt the message and pass the bill.
The body also received other messages relating to Senate Bills which resulted in the creation of three conference committees. In relation to Senate Bill 405, the President apportioned Senators Boso, Sypolt and Palumbo.
In relation to Senate Bill 487, a bill which relates to the admissibility of health care staffing requirements in litigation, was sent to a conference committee where the President appointed Senators Takubo, Boso and Woelfel to represent the Senate
Additionally, Senate concurrent resolutions 63 and 74 were brought before the body for immediate consideration where they were immediately reported to the committee on rules.
