The Senate has passed four bills today to be sent to the House for further consideration.

SB 185 would allow spending units to designate the fund which the proceeds from the sale of surplus property must be deposited when the fund that was used to purchase the property is no longer in existence.

SB 206 would expand the definition of kidnapping to including taking or gaining custody of, confining or concealing another person by force or threat of force or by duress, fraud, deceit misrepresentation or enticement.

SB 220 would create a new felony offense for a drug delivery that results in the death of another person and providing a felony criminal penalty.

SB 365 would maintain the solvency of the Unemployment Compensation Fund and extend the time period for borrowing funds from the Revenue Shortfall Reserve Fund for the Unemployment Compensation Fund to September 1, 2018.

Members of the Senate also adopted SR 34 to memorialize the life and accomplishments of Frank Cuomo, Jr.

Senate Bills 564-569 were introduced. 

Senate Bills 173, 235, 259 and 473 were advanced to a second reading.

Of those bills, SB 173 was amended by Senator Ron Stollings, D-Boone, to eliminate a provision of the bill that enables those over the age of 18 to choose not to wear a helmet when using a motorcycle.

The Senate also approved two special orders of business to confirm the nomination of those candidates approved by the Senate Confirmations Committee to hold certain executive offices.

Committee Meetings Today

Health and Human Resources: 2:15 p.m. in 451M

Energy, Industry and Mining: 2:15 p.m. in 208W

Education: 3:15 p.m. in 451M

Government Organization: 3:15 p.m. in 208W

Judiciary: 4:15 p.m. in 208W 

Education: 6:15 p.m. in 451M (if needed)

Committee Meetings Tomorrow

Judiciary: 9 a.m. in 208W

Finance: 9:30 a.m. in 451M

Economic Development: 10 a.m. in 208W

The Senate has announced it will convene Saturday at 9 a.m. 

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

The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved two bills to be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that they pass.

SB 344 would eliminate conflicting provisions within current code relating to the application of payments and the assessment of delinquency fees on consumer credit sales and consumer loans. The bill also permits a lender to hold a partial or nonconforming payment in suspense until such time as a full payment can be applied.

Loren Allen, general counsel for the West Virginia Bankers Association, was available to answer questions for the committee.

Senator Robert Karnes (R – Upshur) proposed an amendment on the accumulation of funds that could cover 75% of suspended payments. The amendment was approved.

SB 212 would allow magistrates to make determinations concerning a driver’s license in accordance with certain procedures, and all within the context of the criminal action.

The bill was being considered again as a new committee substitute that makes important clarifications to processes outlined in the bill.

Patty Hamilton of the West Virginia Association of Counties said prosecutors, sheriffs and the Association of Counties do not support the bill, since they say the system works now as it is.

She said they believe the bill would move the process “backwards” toward times when the magistrate courts still handled those DUI issues instead of the DMV in the early 1980s.

Asst. General Counsel for the DMV, Adam Holley also opposed the bill and said the current license revocation system has caused a significant drop in the number of individuals who are killed by drunk driving from about 243 in 1982 and 63 in 2016.

Holley said about 10,000 licenses are revoked each year.

Senator Charles Clements (R – Wetzel) said he has often heard of issues with the timeliness of the process for revoking a license and convicting an individual.

Holley replied that long lengths of time in such cases are “not the norm,” unless a request for a hearing is involved.

The committee also considered SB 255 and SB 219 in the meeting.