Blog – Page 20

House Finance Meets Twice Monday

House Committee

Cheyenne DeBolt

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October 7, 2024

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The House Finance Committee met twice today.

In the morning meeting, House Bill 209 was advanced to the floor.

House Bill 209 appropriates $87 million to the PEIA Reserve Fund. The fund is required to have 10 percent of the actual planned expense of the fiscal year. In the past couple of years, PEIA has faced shortfalls requiring the agency to pull from the reserved fund. The result is a reserve fund below the required funding. The agency is working on a plan for changes to prevent future shortfalls.

House Bill 221, House Bill 222, and House Bill 223 were laid on the table for the next meeting.

When the committee returned, House Bill 237 was presented and advanced to the floor.

House Bill 237 makes changes to future personal income tax rate reductions. The bill changes the start date of the calculations for the previous fiscal year to 2025. If a reduction occurs, it will be reflected in the second taxable year. The bill shall be applied to all taxable years beginning in 2026. The purpose of this is to align it with the budget. It prevents mid-year tax rate changes, which could require submitting multiple tax forms.

The following bills were taken up for explanations but laid over again: House Bill 221, House Bill 222, and House Bill 223. The three bills appropriate $32.5 million of surplus funds to the DOC. The funds will be used for the adult facilities, the juvenile facilities, the takeover of the Stevens Correction Center in McDowell County, and the PEIA shortfall for the parole board.

House Bill 216 allocated $10.6 million to the Office of Technology for maintenance and long-term upgrades. The bill was amended in committee.

House Bill 230 provides $1 million of surplus to the Department of Education for safe schools updates.

House Bill 231 gives the School Building Authority spending authority for $5 million for Charter School Construction Grants. No new money is appropriated; it is just spending authority.

House Bill 229 provides $5 million to the Department of Economic Development for a childcare expansion pilot program. The program will help grow childcare in the state by starting new childcare facilities, expanding smaller current childcare facilities, and attracting staff.

The Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460.

Day Three: Special Session Continues

House Floor Session

Cheyenne DeBolt

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October 7, 2024

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The House of Delegates convened for day three of the Second Special Session of 2024 at noon today. The House passed nine bills, completing action on Senate Bill 2009 and 2020 and postponed action on four bills.

House Bill 211 allocates $100 million of surplus to the Civil Contingency Fund for Federal Funds/Grant Matching for future match needs.

House Bill 213 provides $135 million to the Department of Economic Development for the Economic Enhancement Grant Fund and WV Jobs Investment Trust.

House Bill 214 allocates $2 million of surplus to the Office of the Inspect General, Department of Health for various unfunded statute requirements. The $2 million will be used to help move the Human Rights Commission to a more accessible location, purchase additional vehicles, as the current fleet is in bad shape, and other mandates.

House Bill 215 allocates $2.8 million of surplus to the Department of Environmental Protection for grant match on the Minden Superfund Site Clean Up and litigation.

House Bill 226 provides a nonrefundable child and dependent care tax credit for those who qualify for a federal tax credit.

An amendment was offered and rejected. It would have made the tax credit refundable.

Senate Bill 2009 allocated $87 million to the PEIA Reserved Account, which is required by code to maintain 10 percent of planned expenses. PEIA’s expenses have exceeded estimated revenue in the last couple years. In Committee, it was stated that managing the cost of prescriptions and a reduction in rebates have cost the agency more than expected. The agency does have a five year plan and is making changes to combat revenue loss.

Senate Bill 2020 provides $13.6 million to West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine for capital outlay and deferred maintenance. Some projects needed include water intrusion, roof repair, and mold spread.

The Governor’s Proclamation was amended again. Please see the following:

The House recessed for 15 minutes.

The House returned and introduced the bills on the amended proclamation. All bills were read a first time and sent to assigned committees.

The House is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow, October 8.

Committee meetings, today
The Finance Committee will meet at 2:45 p.m. in Room 460.
The Committee on Government Organization will meet at 3:15 p.m. in Room 215E.

Committee Meetings, tomorrow October 8
The Finance Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460.
The Committee on Health and Human Resources will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 215E.
The Rules Committee will meet tomorrow, October 8 at 10:45 a.m. in the Speaker’s Conference Room.

Interim Meetings
The Joint Committee on Energy and Manufacturing will meet at 4 p.m. in Senate Judiciary- Room 208M.
CANCELED – Joint Committee on Economic Development and Tourism
CANCELED – Joint Committee on Health

Senate Continues Special Session, Passes 10 Bills

Senate Floor Session

Christopher Marshall

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October 6, 2024

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Senate Continues Special Session, Passes 10 Bills

The Senate passed 10 bills Monday evening as they continued the Second Special Session of 2024 that began on September 30.

The body received the Governor’s amended Special Session call that included four additional items for consideration.

The Senate suspended the rules to pass three of those items. Senate Bill 2029 is a $5 million appropriation for a child care expansion pilot program. Senate Bill 2031 is a $5 allocation charter school construction grants. Senate Bill 2032 would appropriate $10 million for drought relief programs through the Department of Agriculture. These bills now head to the House of Delegates for consideration.

Senate Bill 2030, which is a $1 million allocation to the state Department of Education for school safety programs, was read a first time.

The Senate amended and passed seven other supplemental appropriation bills Sunday evening. They now head to the House of Delegates.

The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, Oct. 7, at 1 p.m.

Special Session Continues, House Advances 10 Bills to Third

House Floor Session

Cheyenne DeBolt

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October 6, 2024

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Special Session Continues, House Advances 10 Bills to Third

The House of Delegates convened for day two of the Second Extraordinary Session of 2024.

The Governor’s Proclamation can be read here. The amendment to the proclamation can be read here.

The House received committee reports and read each a second time, advancing the bills to Third Reading. Those bills include House Bill 210, House Bill 211, House Bill 213, House Bill 214, House Bill 215, House Bill 219, House Bill 220, House Bill 224, House Bill 226, and House Bill 227.

House Bill 227 authorizes public charter schools to apply for funding from the School Building Authority to purchase a building for public charter school purposes.

The House introduced, read a first time, and referred to a committee eight additional bills. Seven of those Bills were referred to the Finance Committee.

The House is adjourned until noon, tomorrow, October 7.

Committee Meetings, tomorrow, October 7
The Rules Committee will meet at 11:45 a.m. behind the House Chamber.
The Finance Committee will meet immediately following the Joint Finance Committee in Room 460.

Interim Meetings, tomorrow, October 7
The Joint Committee on Judiciary will meet at 9 a.m. in the House Chamber.
The Joint Committee on Finance will meet at 9 a.m. in the Senate Chamber.
The Commission on Special Investigations will meet at 11 a.m. in Senate Finance – 451M.
The Legislative Oversight Committee on Regional Jails and Correctional Facility Authority will meet at 11 a.m. in Senate Judiciary – 208M.
The Joint Committee on Economic Development and Tourism will meet at 3 p.m. in the House Chamber.
The Joint Committee on Health will meet at 4 p.m. in the Senate Chamber.
The Joint Committee on Energy and Manufacturing will meet at 4 p.m. in Senate Judiciary – 208M.

House Finance Advances Four Bills in Sunday Meeting

House Committee

Cheyenne DeBolt

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October 6, 2024

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House Finance Advances Four Bills in Sunday Meeting

The House Finance Committee met this afternoon to consider several bills for the Special Session.

House Bill 220 provides $13.6 million to West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine for capital outlay and deferred maintenance. Some projects needed include water intrusion, roof repair, and mold spread.

House Bill 210 provides $40 million from surplus to the Civil Contingent Fund for rural hospitals.

House Bill 212 provides $17 million to the Higher Education Policy Commission for the Nursing Expansion Program. Additionally, it gives $5 million to the HEPC for fire and EMS training. The bill was laid over one day.

House Bill 213 provides $135 million to the Department of Economic Development for the Economic Enhancement Grant Fund and WV Jobs Investment Trust.

House Bill 226 provides a nonrefundable child and dependent care tax credit for those who qualify for a federal tax credit. The credit will apply retrospectively to taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2024.

The Joint Committee on Finance will meet in the Senate Chamber at 9 a.m. tomorrow, October 7. The House Finance Committee will meet in Room 460 immediately after the Joint Committee adjourns.

Senate Begins Special Session, Completes Action on 6 Bills

Senate Floor Session

Christopher Marshall

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September 30, 2024

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Senate Begins Special Session, Completes Action on 6 Bills

The Senate convened the second Special Session of 2024 on Monday at 11 a.m., reading 28 pieces of legislation a first time. The majority of those bills were supplemental appropriation items.

Following a midday recess, the body returned and suspended the constitutional rules to pass one Senate bill and complete action on six House bills.

The completed bills today are listed below:

House Bill 201 provides $10 million for Communities in Schools.

House Bill 202 gives spending authority to the Division of Highways to use the $150 million already appropriated to it during the May special session.

House Bill 203 provides $1.2 million for the state Veterans’ Home in Barboursville.

House Bill 204 provides $375,000 or the West Virginia State Police for capital overlay and improvements.

House Bill 206 provides $2 million for West Virginia University for its general administration fund.

House Bill 207 gives just shy of $380,000 to the Department of Education’s Aid for Exceptional Children program for pay increases not included in the budget bill.

These bills now head to the Governor’s desk to await his signature.

Also, in the afternoon session, the Senate suspended the constitutional rules requiring a bill be read on three separate days to pass Senate Bill 2009, which moves $87 million into a PEIA reserve fund. The bill now heads to the House of Delegates for consideration.

The Senate is adjourned until Sunday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m.

House Finance Advances Five Bills in Afternoon Meeting

House Committee

Cheyenne DeBolt

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September 30, 2024

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House Finance Advances Five Bills in Afternoon Meeting

The Finance Committee met this afternoon to consider five bills.

House Bill 215 allocates $2.8 million of surplus to the Department of Environmental Protection for grant match on the Minden Superfund Site Clean Up and litigation.

House Bill 211 allocates $100 million of surplus to the Federal Funds/Grant Matching for future match needs.

House Bill 214 allocates $2 million of surplus to the Office of the Inspect General, Department of Health for various unfunded statute requirements. The $2 million will be used to help move the Human Rights Commission to a more accessible location, purchase additional vehicles, as the current fleet is in bad shape, and other mandates.

House Bill 219 allocates $1.05 million to the Public Defenders Services for the Public Defenders Corporation which was not funded in the budget. The PDS personnel has no line item in the budget as they are not state employees, they perform a state service but are paid through the corporation. This will increase the base budget in future years.

House Bill 224 provides the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation spending authority for $1.7 million for jail maintenance. Currently, there is not a line item in the budget for regional jail maintenance.

The Committee will be meeting at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 6.

House Convenes for Second Special Session

House Floor Session

Cheyenne DeBolt

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September 30, 2024

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House Convenes for Second Special Session

Today, the House of Delegates convened for the Second Extraordinary Session of 2024.

To read, the Governor’s Proclamation, click here.

The House suspended the rules and passed eight bills. Additionally, the House adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 1.

House Bill 201 appropriates $10 million of surplus to the State Board of Education for the Communities in Schools.

House Bill 202 increases the spending authority of the Division of Highways for fiscal year 2025 by $150 million. These funds were already appropriated, and now the division can spend it.

House Bill 203 appropriates $1.2 million of surplus to the Department of Veterans’ Assistance for capital outlay, repairs, and equipment at the Barboursville Veterans’ Home.

House Bill 204 appropriates $375 thousand of surplus to the WV State Police for capital outlay, repairs, and equipment.

House Bill 205 appropriates $15.6 million of surplus to the National Guard.

House Bill 206 appropriates $2 million of surplus to WVU for the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute.

House Bill 207 appropriates $379.4 thousand of surplus to the Department of Education for pay increases to teachers at the School of the Deaf and Blind, as they were missed in the budget bill for pay increases.

House Bill 208 sets the framework for the state to become an agreement state with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The bill keeps the Department of Health as the State Radioactive Control Agency and allows for certain low-level materials to be controlled by the state instead of the federal government. This does not apply to high-level materials. West Virginia is one of 11 states that are not an agreement state.

The remaining introduced bills were read the first time and referred to a committee.

The House is adjourned until 6 p.m. on October 6th, 2024.

Committee Meetings, Today
The Education Committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. in Room 434.
The Finance Committee will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 460.

Committee Meetings, Sunday, Oct. 6
The Education Committee will meet at 1 p.m. in Room 434 if today’s agenda is not completed.
The Finance Committee will meet at 2 p.m. in Room 460.

Committee Meetings, Monday, Oct. 7
The Finance Committee will meet at 9 a.m. in Room 460.

Interim Report: Joint Committee on Finance

Interim Report

Christopher Marshall

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September 10, 2024

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Interim Report: Joint Committee on Finance

The Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Finance met Monday morning at the Donald F. Black Courthouse Annex for the second day of September legislative interim meetings in Parkersburg.

The focal point of the meeting was continued (from August interims two weeks ago) questioning of West Virginia Department of Human Services officials regarding where state and federal funding for child care subsidies comes from, as well as the seeming lack of progress in attempting to combat the state’s substance use disorder crisis.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Eric Tarr (R-Putnam) asked Cynthia Persily, the cabinet secretary for the Department of Human Services, exactly how the state funds the Child Care Assistance program through the Bureau for Family Assistance. The program provides financial assistance to working parents or parents attending public colleges to subsidize the cost of family-based child care or licensed center-based child care for families that meet income requirements.

Persily explained that the Child Care Assistance program receives its funding though the child care development fund made up of state dollars and a line of child care maintenance from federal funding. The program is also receiving funding through two federal funding block grants and TANF surplus dollars according to Persily.

Persily informed members that the Child Care Assistance Program receives just over $124 annually, with over $116 million coming from federal dollars and $7.9 million in state funding.

Delegate Matthew Rohrbach (R-Cabell) asked Persily about state funding to combat the substance use disorder crisis in West Virginia, and the state’s apparent lack of return on investment.

Two weeks ago, the Joint Standing Committee on Health received a bleak report from Jeremiah Samples, a senior adviser to the Legislature, regarding West Virginia’s drug use statistics and policies.

Citing statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Samples informed members that overdose deaths in West Virginia between 2017 and 2022 increased by more than 55 percent, overdose deaths between 2010 and 2022 increased by 135 percent, and overdose deaths between 1999 and 2022 increased by 1,690 percent.

Rohrbach mentioned Monday that state spending on the West Virginia substance use disorder waiver — which helps pay for prevention and treatment services — was $13 million in fiscal year 2019, growing to $160 million in fiscal year 2024. He wondered how state spending could increases by more than ten times in five years as overdose deaths continue to skyrocket?

Persily said that looking at substance use disorder treatment with only overdoses as a measurement of success fails to produce a true reflection of the good work that is being done. She said other measures to consider include seven-day and 30-day follow-ups with those who complete rehabilitation and connecting individuals with housing and employment.

“We are not just looking at overdoses as the end result of SUD treatment, because quite frankly people who are in treatment are less likely to have overdoses than people who are not in treatment,” Persily said.

She also reminded lawmakers of a law they passed earlier this year, requiring automatic enrollment of the substance use disorder population into managed care programs. The bill requires DoHS to develop performance-based outcome measures for state-funded substance use disorder programs.

Persily said the DohS proposed those measures and she believes those managed care programs are indicators of success nationally in the fight against substance use disorder.

Interim Report: Joint Judiciary Committee

Interim Report

Cheyenne DeBolt

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September 9, 2024

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Interim Report: Joint Judiciary Committee

The Legislature is in Parkersburg for interims this week. Today, the Judiciary Committee heard about cemetery law.

There are regulations on company cemeteries. However, many cemeteries in West Virginia are privately owned by families and churches. Privately owned cemeteries are exempt from regulations, although many try to abide by the regulations laid out for company cemeteries. Cemetery abandonment, neglect, and damages can arise when there is insufficient funding, staffing, or volunteers to upkeep the cemeteries.

West Virginia has code on cemeteries, but it is a bit scattered and focuses on criminal damage rather than abandonment, neglect, or weather damage.

Ohio code covers abandoned cemeteries by stating that a trustee can turn over the cemetery to a municipality or county by stating that they cannot maintain it. In Kentucky, the Attorney General’s Office handles cemeteries. Pennsylvania allows for 25 citizens in a five-mile radius to petition the township if a cemetery is in disarray. In Maryland, there is a regulatory board for cemeteries and the county/municipality can appropriate or raise funds for cemeteries. Virginia can take over cemeteries with eminent domain if they aren’t being cared for.

If someone in West Virginia needs help with a cemetery that is neglected, damaged, or abandoned, they can contact state or local government, contact the insurance company for the cemetery, reach out to volunteer groups, apply for grants, if a natural disaster – contact FEMA or contact other buyers to purchase the cemetery.