Blog – Page 231

Broadband Bill Passes Senate

Senate Floor Session

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February 18, 2016

The Senate met today at 11 a.m.

Senate Bill 315, providing the construction of a statewide fiber-optic broadband infrastructure network, was passed. The construction of this infrastructure will be funded by federal grants and bonds, not requiring any money from the state, and could span 2,500 miles to every county in West Virginia.

Also passed this morning were Senate Bills 400, 424 and 529. Senate Bill 400 reduces the amount of sales tax proceeds that are dedicated to the School Major Improvement Fund, Senate Bill 424 allows fire departments to assess fees, and Senate Bill 529 makes certain sport and education fantasy games lawful. Each of these bills will now be sent to the House of Delegates for further consideration.

Senate Bills 54, 293, 313 and 434, in addition to House Bills 4148, 4158, 4244 and 4245 were read for the second time and advanced to third reading.

Introduced to the Senate today were bills 622-632. The last day to introduce bills to the Senate is Monday, February 22.

The following committees will meet today:

Health & Human Resources at 1:40-3 p.m. in 451M

Energy at 2 p.m. in 208W

Education at 5 p.m. in 451M

Government Organizations at 5 p.m. in 208W

Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W

Finance at 3 p.m. in 451M

The Senate will reconvene tomorrow at 11 a.m.

House Votes FASFA Applications to be Included in Secondary Education

House Floor Session

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February 18, 2016

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The House of Delegates met today at 11 a.m.

A few bills were passed today in the House. House Bill 2904 passed unanimously which would work to require the clerk of a county commission to maintain a county ordinance. House Bill 4174 also passed unanimously which would work to exempt activity at indoor shooting ranges from the prohibition of shooting or discharging a firearm within five hundred feet of any church or dwelling office. House Bill 4467 was the last bill that passed in the House today which would work to include financial aid planning and competition of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid in secondary school instruction in personal finance.

There were many House Bills advanced to third reading today. Senate Bill 150, 309 and 369 were among those sent to third reading. Quite a few House Bills passed second reading as well: House Bill 2474, 2852, 4013, 4150, 4151, 4159, 4213, 4261, 4499 and 4520.

A number of bills were also advanced to second reading. Among those were: Senate Bill 7 and Senate Bill 14. House Bill 4040, 4060, 4080 and 4521 were also sent to second reading.

The following committees will meet today:

Senior Issues 1:30 p.m.

Health & Human Resources 2 p.m.

Judiciary 3 p.m.

Substance Abuse 4 p.m.

Pensions & Retirement 4 p.m.

Political Subdivisions 5 p.m.

The following committees will meet tomorrow prior to session:

Banking & Insurance 8:30 a.m.

Finance 9 a.m.

Education 9 a.m.

Government Organization 9 a.m.

Judiciary 9 a.m.

The House will reconvene tomorrow at 11 a.m.

One Bill Completes Legislation, 12 Bills Passed

Senate Floor Session

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February 17, 2016

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The Senate met today at 11 a.m.

The Senate concurred with House amendments on Senate Bill 15 and the bill completed legislation. This regards the adoption of intermediary doctrine as defense to civil action due to lack of warnings or instructions and now awaits the Govenor’s final approval.

12 Senate Bills were passed, including Senate Bill 10, which creates an Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, and Senate Bill 105 which establishes a Tim Tebow Act, allowing nonpublic school students to participate in SSAC member school athletics. Senate Bills 16, 267, 283, 351, 436, 439, 462, 504, 507 and 515 were also passed in the Senate and will be sent to the House of Delegates for further consideration.

Senate Bill 356, which eliminates the consumer sales and service tax exemption for the 2016 fiscal year, was referred to the Rule Committee on the third reading. Senate Bill 400 was laid over on the third reading and will retain its place on the calendar.

Senate Bills 315, 424 and 529 were read for the second time and advanced to the third reading. Senate Bill 315 provides the construction of a statewide fiber optic broadband infrastructure network. Senate Bill 313 was laid over on the second reading and will retain its place on the calendar.

The following committees will meet today:

Pensions at 2 p.m. in 208W

Natural Resources at 2:15 p.m. in 451M

Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W

Finance at 3 p.m. in 451M

The Judiciary Committee will meet tomorrow at 9 a.m. prior to session.

The Senate will reconvene tomorrow at 11 a.m.

WV School for Deaf and Blind Delight Delegates with Song

House Floor Session

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February 17, 2016

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The House of Delegates met today at 11 a.m.

Students from the West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind touched the hearts of the Delegates today through song. The children of all ages came to show appreciation for their school, and prove that through the support and education they recieve, each of them can truly reach for the stars.

A total of seven bills were passed in the House today:

HB 3019 would require official business and records of the state and its political subdivisions be conducted in English, HB 4209 relates generally to health care provider taxes, HB 4291 would increase penalties for teachers who commit sexual offenses against children, HB 4323 relates to the reporting of emergency incidents by well operators and pipeline operators, HB 4347 would provide pregnant women priority to substance abuse treatment, HB 4378 relates to access to and receipt of certain information regarding a protected person by certain relatives of the protected person and HB 4417 woudl increase wages protected from garnishment.

A few bills were advanced to third reading. Among those bills were House Bills 2904, 4174 and 4467.

The following committees will meet today:

Judiciary: 1:30 p.m.

Finance: 2 p.m.

Education: 2 p.m.

Banking and Insurance: 4 p.m.

Veterans Affairs: 4 p.m.

The following committees will meet tomorrow prior to session:

Political Subdivisions: 8 a.m.

Small Business: 9 a.m.

Banking and Insurance: 10 a.m.

The House will reconvene tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Senate Bill Completes Legislation, 16 Bills Pass

Senate Floor Session

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February 16, 2016

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The Senate met today at 11 a.m.

Senate Bill 123, which allows for expedited partner therapy treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, completed legislation and will now be sent to the Governor’s office for final approval.

Passed today were 16 Senate Bills. This includes Senate Bill 298 which allows restaurants, private clubs and wineries to sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays and Senate Bill 510 which establishes an Adult Drug Court Participation Fund.

14 Senate Bills were read for the second time and advanced to the third reading. Senate Bill 14 creates the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act and Senate Bill 105 creates a Tim Tebow Act, which allows nonpublic school students to participate in SSAC member school athletics.

Senate Bill 313, relating to school calendars and allowing limited use of available instructional time, and Senate Bill 424, allowing fire departments to assess fees, were laid over on the second reading and will retain their places on the calendar.

The following committees will meet today:

Health & Human Resources at 1:15 p.m. in 451M

Energy, Industry and Mining at 1:30 p.m. in 208W

Education at 2:15 p.m. in 451M

Government Organizations at 2:15 p.m. in 208W

Judiciary at 3 p.m. in 208W

Finance at 3:15 p.m. in 451M

The Senate will reconvene tomorrow at 11 a.m.

House Bill 2800 Sent to Conference Committee

House Floor Session

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February 16, 2016

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The House of Delegates met today at 11 a.m.

House Bill 2800 was sent to conference committee today. The committee made up of 3 Senators and 3 Delegates will meet to come up with an agreement for the bill between the two houses.

A few bills were presented on third reading today in the House. Senate Bill 15 passed, which would adopt learned intermediary doctrine as defense to civil action due to inadequate warnings or instructions. House Bill 2122 passed unanimously in the House, which would make it illegal for first responders to photograph a corpse also known as Jonathon’s Law.

Many bills were sent to third reading. Among these were: House Bills 3019, 4209, 4291, 4323, 4347, 4378 and 4417.

The following committees will meet today:

Political Subdivisions: 1 p.m.

Health and Human Resources: 2 p.m.

Substance Abuse: 4 p.m.

The following committees will meet tomorrow prior to session:

Finance: 9 a.m.

Judiciary: 9 a.m.

Gov. Org.: 9 a.m.

The Education Committee will hold a public hearing on House Bill 4310 tomorrow at 9 a.m.

The House of Delegates will reconvene tomorrow at 11 a.m.

House Passes Transportation Network Companies Bill

House Floor Session

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February 15, 2016

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The House of Delegates passed a bill to allow Uber, Lyft and like companies to do business in West Virginia.

House Bill 4228 would create transportation network companies. Under the measure, companies like Uber could participate in ride sharing in the Mountain State. A similar bill went through the Legislature last session, but ultimately was not passed. The bill goes to the Senate for consideration.

Two Senate bills were passed on Feb. 15. Senate Bill 123 – treatment for sexually transmitted diseases – also passed the House and now goes back to the Senate for communication before completing legislation. Senate Bill 261 – bringing state code relating to daylight savings time in conformity with federal code – also passed the House. SB 261 completed legislation.

The House passed five other House bills and discussed a bill that would make it illegal for first responders to photograph a corpse, House Bill 2122, or Jonathon’s Law.

Seven bills were read a first time and eight bills were introduced including a bill (HB 4534) to allow the sale and serving of alcoholic liquors at 11 a.m. on Sundays. Current law restricts the sale of alcohol until 1 p.m. on Sundays.

The following committees will meet today:

Finance: 2:30 p.m. in 460M

Judiciary: 3 p.m. in 410M

Education: 3 p.m. in 434M

Gov Org: 3:30 p.m. in 215E

The following committees will meet tomorrow prior to session:

Labor: 9 a.m. in 215E

Agriculture: 10 a.m. in 215E

Senate Passes Nine Bills, Adavances 32 More

Senate Floor Session

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February 15, 2016

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The Senate passed nine bills and advanced 32 more during a Monday morning floor session.

Senate Bill 299 creates the the Library Facilities Improvement Fund while Senate Bill 328 creates the West Virginia Veterans Program Fund. These bills now head to the House of Delegates for consideration along with Senate bills 403, 404, 459, 483, 517, 524 and 558.

Sixteen bills advanced to third reading, including Senate Bill 298, which would allow restaurants, private clubs and wineries to sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays. Sixteen bills also advanced to second reading, including Senate Bill 16, which would provide a tax credit for providing broadband service to unserved areas.

The Senate also refussed to concur in the House amendments for House Bill 2800, which would add law-enforcement officers’ contact information and names of family members to the list of exemptions from public records requests. A conference committee was appointed.

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

Agriculture and Rural Develompent will meet at 1:30 p.m. todday in 451M

Banking and Insurance will meet at 2 p.m. today in 208W

Finance will meet at 3 p.m. today in 451M

Judiciary will meet at 3 p.m. today in 208W

Transportation and Infrastructure will meet tomorrow at 10 a.m. in 451M

House and Senate Override Governor’s Vetoes on Right to Work and Prevailing Wage

Senate Floor Session

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February 12, 2016

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The State Senate and House of Delegates met today at 11 a.m.

Last week, the WV Workplace Freedom Act and the Prevailing Wage bill completed legislation and were sent to the Governor’s office for final approval. The Governor vetoed these bills and returned them to the legislature. Today, both chambers overrode the vetoes, repassing the bills. These bills have officially completed legislation and will be in effect starting July 1, 2016.

The Senate also unanimously passed five Senate bills, Senate Bills 73, 429, 465, 469 and 501. Senate Bill 73 creates a felony crime from knowingly leaving the scene of a crash resulting in serious bodily injury, and Senate Bill 469 clarifies what personal funds are exempt from tax.

Senate Bills on second reading include: 299, 328, 403, 404, 459, 483, 517, 524 and 558. Senate Bill 328 creates a West Virginia Veterans Program Fund and Senate Bill 524 rewrites the Board of Barbers and Commissioner. These bills were advanced to the third reading for Monday.

The House of Delegates unanimously passed House Bill 4147, which will make the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind eligible to participate in any and all funding administered or distributed by the West Virginia School Building Authority.

The House advanced multiple bills to the third reading today. Among these were: Senate Bills 123 and 261, and House Bills 2615, 4146, 4188, 4218, 4228 and 4309.

House Bill 2122 and Senate Bill 15 were advanced to second reading for Monday’s session.

The House Judiciary committee will meet today at 2 p.m. and Monday at 9 a.m. prior to session in 410M.

The Senate Judiciary committee will meet today at 1:30 p.m.

The Senate Judiciary will also hold a public hearing Monday at 9 a.m. prior to session in 208W regarding House Bill 4145.

The House of Delegates and the State Senate will reconvene Monday at 11 a.m.

Bills Passed from the House

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February 12, 2016

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As of 4 p.m., Friday, February 12, 2016, the 31st day of the second session of the 82nd Legislature, 982 bills have been introduced in the House. Of those, 38 of the bills have passed and have been sent to the Senate for further consideration. Among those:

House Bill 2511 (Health Care Sharing Ministries Freedom to Share Act) would work to exempt health care sharing ministries from state statutory requirements of individual and group accident and health insurance policies. This bill will now be sent to the Senate for discussion.

House Bill 4145 (Relating to carry or use of a handgun or deadly weapon) would work to authorize residents of West Virginia to carry a firearm in a concealed manner, without permit, so long as certain conditions are met. The bill also permits eligible persons to carry a handgun for self-defense purposes, without permit. It states that carrying a concealed deadly weapon without a state license or other lawful authorization apply only to persons under 21 years old. This bill would permit persons 18 years and older to obtain a concealed carry permit. This bill will now be sent to the Senate for discussion.

House Bill 4163 (Providing the authority and procedure for municipalities to give notice to, and publish, the names of, entities delinquent in paying business and occupation taxes) would work to provide municipalities with the authority and procedure by which they may publish the names of entities delinquent in filing and paying business occupation taxes. This bill will now be sent to the Senate to be discussed.

House Bill 4186 (Relating to additional duties of the Public Service Commission) would work to establish additional duties for the Public Service Commission related to developing a process to review towing operator charges for fairness. This bill will now be sent to the Senate for further discussion.

House Bill 2444 (Providing for the assignment of economic development office representatives to serve as Small Business Allies as facilitators to assist small business entities and individuals) would work to provide assistance to small businesses West Virginia Development office. The bill requires that the executive director of the West Virginia Development Office submit biennial reports that describe how the West Virginia Development Office is assisting small businesses and suggestions it has to make statutory or regulatory requirements imposed on small businesses more efficient. This bill will now be sent to the Senate for discussion.

House Bill 4012 (WV Religious Freedom Restoration Act) would provide a test courts can use as a guideline to provide a defense for those whose religious freedoms have been substantially burdened by state action. The test questions whether the religious belief is sincerely held, whether the state has a compelling interest in the situation and whether the state use the least restrictive means to handle the concern. The bill is not intended to create a claim,m but merely to provide guidance for tests when state action allegedly has substantially burdened the exercise of religion.