Sunday, May 4, 2025
Sunday, May 4, 2025
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More Bills Pass Through House

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The House convened at 11 a.m. today.

H. B. 2982 – relating to allowing draw games winners to remain anonymous – passed 89-9.

H. B. 4014 – relating to reorganization of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources – passed 62-36.

H. B. 4016 – relating to combatting waste, fraud, and misuse of public funds through investigations, accountability and transparency – passed 98-0.

H. B. 4154 – establishing the 2018 Regulatory Reform Act – passed 95-3.

H. B. 4166 – establishing a special revenue fund to be known as the “Capital Improvements Fund – Department of Agriculture Facilities” – passed 96-2 and was approved to become effective from passage.

H. B. 4187 – business Liability Protection Act – passed 85-14.

H. B. 4218 – relating to medical professional liability – passed 99-0.

H. B. 4238 – authorizing counties and municipalities to establish a joint airport hazard comprehensive plan – passed 99-0.

H. B. 4309 – restricting the sale and trade of dextromethorphan – passed 95-4.

H. B. 4394 – relating to forest fires – passed 99-0.

H. B. 4453 – relating to judicial review of contested cases under the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Board of Review – passed 99-0.

H. B. 4486 – relating to persons required to obtain a license to engage in the business of currency exchange – passed 98-1.

H. B. 4509 – relating to the establishment of substance abuse treatment facilities – passed 99-0.

H. B. 4623 – relating to obtaining substance abuse treatment services – passed 85-14.

H.B. 2114, H.B. 4158, and H.B. 4563 were moved to the House Calendar.

S.B. 48 and S.B. 181 were moved to the House Special Calendar first reading.

Rules will meet at 3:45 p.m. behind the chamber.

The House is in recess until 4 p.m. 

Update 5:20 p.m.

The House amended H.B. 4217, H.B. 4431, and H.B. 4571 on second reading.

There were 20 other House Bills on the House Special Calendar read a second time.

S. B. 181 and S. B. 348 were read a first time.

Committee on Energy will meet at 5:30 p.m. in 418M.

Committee on Pensions and Retirement will meet at 5:30 p.m. in 460M.

The House is adjourned until 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Senate Bill 573 Passes Senate Floor

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The Senate convened today at 11 a.m.

S. B. 420 was passed 22-12 by the body. It would transfer the administration of the Safety and Treatment Program from the Department of Health and Human Resources to the Division of Motor Vehicles effective July 1, 2018.

S. B. 521 was passed 32-2. It would require that all newly named chief executives of municipal police departments be certified law enforcement officers.

S. B. 555 was passed unanimously. It would provide liability protection to a nonprofit organization’s director for the organization’s torts, provided the director did not direct, sanction or participate in the wrongful acts.

S. B. 573 was passed unanimously. It would change the required minimum number of instructional days in school from 180 to 175. The days would be removed from the calendar after the primary statewide assesment program. The five days would be changed to noninstructional days which could be used for development days or any other purpose as determined by the county superintendent.

S. B. 275, S. B. 313, S. B. 456, S. B. 490, S. B. 499, S. B. 500, S. B. 528, S. B. 539, S. B. 561, S. B. 562, S. B. 566, S. B. 574 and S. B. 627 were all passed unanimously.

Bills on Second Reading:

Bills on First Reading: 

The Senate adopted S. R. 52, designating February 26, 2018, as Families Leading Change Day.

The Senate is in recess until today at 5 p.m.

Committees meeting today:

Banking and Insurance at 2 p.m. 451M

Judiciary at 3 p.m. 208W

Finance at 3:30 p.m. 451M

 

Update 5:44 p.m.

The Senate reconvened at 5 p.m.

The body recieved committee reports.

The following bills were taken up for immediate consideration and read for the first time:

The Senate is adjoured until tomorrow at 11 a.m.

House Passes Bills, Adopts Amendments

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The House convened at 11 a.m. today to work on bills on the House Special Calendar.

H. B. 2889 – allowing military veterans with certain military ratings to qualify for examinations required of probationary police officer – passed 98-0.

H. B. 4214 – increasing penalties for unlawfully possessing or digging ginseng – passed 91-7.

H. B. 4444 – clarifying the authority of the State Fire Commission in adopting a State Building Code – passed 97-1.

H. B. 4465 – authorizing the acupuncture board to issue certificates to perform auricular acudetox therapy – passed 98-0.

H. B. 4481 – relating to mandatory inter-board reporting by licensees or registrants of the boards of medicine, osteopathic medicine, nursing – passed 97-0.

H. B. 4539 – providing an annual annuity adjustment of 1 percent for eligible deputy sheriff retirants and surviving spouses – passed 98-0.

H. B. 4546 – relating to where an application for a marriage license may be made – passed 98-0.

H. B. 4550 – providing the Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists the authority to establish an apprenticeship program for cosmetologists – passed 91-7.

These bills will now move to the Senate for consideration.

Bills on second reading:

There were 25 House Bills on first reading.

Committees meeting today:

Finance at 3:30 p.m. in 460M.

Judiciary at 3:30 p.m. in 410M.

Education at 3:45 p.m. in 434M.

Government Organization at 4 p.m. in 215E.

Roads and Transportation at 5 p.m. in 215E.

Committees meeting tomorrow:

Agriculture and Natural Resources will meet at 8:30 a.m. in 215E.

House Rules will meet at 10:45 a.m. behing the Chamber.

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

House Passes Ten Bills

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The House convened at 11 a.m. today during the fourty-fifth day of session.

H. B. 2843 – permitting Class III municipalities to be included in the West Virginia Tax Increment Act – passed 85-7.

H. B. 2983 – granting priority to roadway construction, reconstruction and maintenance for roadways prone to recurring floods that hinder ingress and egress – passed 92-0.

H. B. 4219 – permitting employees of educational services cooperatives to participate in the State Teachers Retirement System – passed 92-0.

H. B. 4289 – relating to disability pensions of municipal employees – passed 92-0.

H. B. 4347 – relating to voluntary contributions to the West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory Fund – passed 92-0.

H. B. 4502 – adding the crimes of murder and armed robbery to the list of offenses for which a prosecutor may apply for an order authorizing interception – passed 92-1.

H. B. 4542 – allowing public service districts to accept payment by credit card – passed 92-1.

H. B. 4607 – establishing certain criteria for the restricted operation of drones within State Parks, Forests, and Rail Trails – passed 92-1.

H. B. 4619 – relating to supporting implementation of comprehensive systems for teacher and leader induction and professional growth – passed 92-0.

H. B. 4624 – relating to West Virginia coordinate systems – passed 92-1.

All of these bills will be communicated to the Senate.

Bills read a second time:

Bills read a first time:

Finance Committee will meet at 2:30 p.m. in 460M.

Judiciary Committee will meet at 3 p.m. in 410M.

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

Senate Passes 11 Bills

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The Senate convened today at 11 a.m.

S. B. 30 was passed unanimously with one member absent. The bill would allow hunters and trackers to use a leashed do to track and retrieve a wounded deer or bear. The hunter must have a valid hunting license.

S. B. 307 was passed unanimously. The bill would declare that fundraising by boot drive or bucket brigade on a road or highway by volunteer fire departments, school approved groups and service or charitable non-profit organizations are not considered a nuisance. The fundraising must be done during daylight hours and at a four-way intersection.

S. B. 549 was passed unanimously. It would create the felony charge for harassing or intimidating a public official, public employee, juror or a witness to prevent them from completing their job. Currently it is only a misdemeanor.

S. B. 112, S. B. 359, S. B. 467,  S. B. 491, S. B. 493, S. B. 501, S. B. 535 and S. B. 576 were all passed unanimously.

Bills on Second Reading:

Bills on First Reading:

The following bills were taken up for immediate consideration and read for the first time prior to the second committee reference:

The Senate is in recess until 5 p.m.

Committees meeting today:

Finance directly following the floor session in 451M

Government Organization directly following Finance meeting in 208W

Judiciary directly folowing Government Organization in 208W

Committees meeting on Sunday:

Judiciary at 5 p.m. 208W

 

Update 5:56 p.m.:

The Senate reconvened at 5 p.m.

The body recieved committee reports.

S. B. 563 was taken up for immediate consideration and read for the first time prior to its second committee reference.

The Senate is adjourned until Monday at 11 a.m.

Committees meeting today:

Judiciary at 5:45 p.m. 208W

Committees meeting on Sunday:

Judiciary at 5 p.m. 208W

Senate Meets to Receive Committee Reports

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The Senate convened today at 11 a.m.

S. B. 474 was passed 21-12 with one member absent. The bill would make certified payrol documents (name and address of the employer, identification of the payroll number and work week ending date, name of the project location, contract number, employees, employee work classifications and job titles, county and state of employee’s residence, days and hours worked, hourly rate or other compensation, withholdings and deductions, and net pay) considered “confidential and proprietary.” This would make the documents not a part of the public record and no longer part of the Freedom of Information Act.

S. B. 523 was passed 27-7. The bill determined that wind power projects are not pollution control faclities and are considered real property for the purpose of taxation.

S. B. 412, S. B. 522, S. B. 543 and S. B. 626 were all passed unanimously.

Bills on Second Reading:

Bills on First Reading:

The Senate is in recess until 5 p.m.

Committees meeting today:

Health and Human Resources at 1:35 p.m. 451M

Energy, Industry and Mining at 1:35 p.m. 208W

Government Organization at 2 p.m. 208W

Judiciary at 3 p.m. 208W

Finance at 3:30 p.m. 451M

Committees meeting tomorrow:

Transportation and Infrastructure at 9 a.m. 451M

 

Update 6:13 p.m.

The Senate reconvened at 5 p.m.

The body recieved committee reports.

The following bills were taken up for immediate consideration and read for the first time prior to being sent to their second committee reference:

The Senate is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Committees meeting today:

Workforce imediately following the floor session in 208W

Energy, Industry and Mining imediately following the floor session in 451M

Judiciary imediately following the Workforce Committee meeting in 208W

Committees meeting tomorrow:

Transportation and Infrastructure at 8:30 a.m. 451M

Judiciary at 9:30 a.m. 208W

Natural Resources at 10 a.m. 451M

HB 4625 Passes in House

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The House convened today at 11 a.m. to work on bills on the House Special Calendar.

These bills were approved by the House:

After hours of debate, H.B. 4625, relating to allocating a portion of any general revenue surplus accruing after a fiscal year to the Public Employees Insurance Agency Financial Stability Fund, passed the House unanimously.

Many Democratic members said they believe that more could be given to PEIA to help the state’s teachers, service personnel, and other public employees.

Republican members said the 20 percent portion that will be given to PEIA is the most reasonable solution for the state’s current crisis.

All House Bills will now be communicated to the Senate.

Committees meeting today:

Health and Human Resources will meet at 2:45 p.m. in 215E.

Finance will meet at 4 p.m. in 460M.

Judiciary will meet at 2 p.m. in 410M.

Rules will meet at 5:15 p.m. behind the Chamber.

Committees meeting tomorrow:

Judiciary will have a public hearing to discuss H. B. 2114 at 9 a.m. in the House Chamber. The Committee will meet directly after.

Government Organization will meet at 9 a.m. in 215E.

Update 7:25 p.m.

The Senate reconvened at 5:30 p.m.

Bills read a second time:

Bills read a first time:

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

House Reconvenes to Consider Legislation

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The House of Delegates re-convened on Wednesday night to take up a bill moved to the foot of bills earlier in the day.

House Bill 4625 – Relating to allocating a portion of any general revenue surplus accruing after a fiscal year to the Public Employees Insurance Agency Financial Stability Fund – was read a second time. House Minority Leader Tim Miley, D-Harrison, offered an amendment that was rejected.

House Majority Leader Daryl Cowles, R-Morgan, moved to suspend the consititional rules to read the bill a third time and put it up for passage. However, the motion failed.

The bill will be on third reading and up for passage Thursday.

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

Judiciary will meet immedaitely following Wednesday night’s session.              

A hearing on House Bill 4338 will be held tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. in the House chamber.

Committees meeting tomorrow:

Government Organization will meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow. 

Rules will meet at 10:45 a.m.

Finance will meet after the 8:30 a.m. meeting in 460M

House Education Moves HB 4223 to Finance

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House Education Committee met at 2 p.m. today to move H.B. 4223.

House Bill 4223, sponsored by Delegate Ruth Rowan, R-Hampshire, would develop a resource for use by parents to monitor and track deaf and hard-of-hearing children’s early language acquisition and expression, and developmental stages toward English literacy. The bill would require the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources through its agencies that serve children ages birth to three jointly select language developmental milestones from existing standardized norms.

Through this bill originally, DHHR would establish an advisory committee to advise the department about content, instruments and develop functions of the resources for appropriate use. The committee would be comprised of:

  • One parent of a child who is hard-of-hearing who uses the dual languages of American Sign Language and English
  • One parent of a child who is deaf or hard-of-hearing who uses assistive technology to communicate with spoken English
  • Two credentialed providers, early interventionists, speech pathologists, educators, or other service providers of deaf or hard-of-hearing children who are knowledgeable in the use of the dual languages of English and American Sign Languages
  • Two credentialed providers, early interventionists, speech pathologists, educators, or other service provider of deaf or hard-of-hearing children who are knowledgeable in the use of assistive technology to communicate with spoken English
  • One expert who researches or is knowledgeable in the research regarding language outcomes for deaf and hard-of-hearing children using American Sign Language or English
  • One expert who researches or is knowledgeable in the research regarding language outcomes for deaf and hard-of-hearing children using assistive technology to communicate with spoken English.

Delegate Michael Folk, R-Berkeley, offerred an amendment that would add a seventh requirement, at least one member must be a deaf adult. Folk expressed his concern of the importance of including a member of the deaf community to be a part of the advisory committee. He said that no one can understand the world in the way a deaf person can unless they are deaf, so there must be a representative on the committee. The amendment was adopted and the bill will now move to the Finance Committee for consideration.

House Moves Bills, In Recess Until 5:30 p.m.

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The House convened today at 11 a.m and passed five bills: H. B. 4011,  H. B. 4022,  H. B. 4079, H. B. 4478, and H. B. 4621.

House Bill 4011, requiring agencies, when submitting a new rule or changes, to also identify two existing rules that could be repealed, passed the House 84-14.

House Bill 4022, exempting the consumer sales and service tax and use tax for services for the repair, remodeling and maintenance of certain aircraft, passed the House 95-3.

House Bill 4079, promulgating administrative rules by various executive or administrative agencies of the state, passed the House 91-7 and was approved to become effective from passage.

House Bill 4478, authorizing public schools to distribute excess food to students, passed the House 97-1.

House Bill 4621, relating to removing reference to certain entities with respect to work, passed the House 97-0.

All of these bills will now be communicated to the Senate for consideration.

Bills on second reading:

Bills on first reading:

Committees meeting today:

Education will meet at 2 p.m. in 434M.

Finance will meet at 2 p.m. in 460M.

Judiciary will resume at 2 p.m. in 410M.

Rules will meet at 5:15 p.m. behind the Chamber.

The House is in recess until 5:30 p.m. today.

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