Saturday, June 21, 2025
Saturday, June 21, 2025
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Senate Passes Budget Bill

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The Senate passed 17 bills on third reading today, including Senate Bill 306, or the Budget Bill. For the first time funds from the West Virginia Rainy Day Fund will be used to balance the budget for the 2015 fiscal year. The Budget Bill now moves to the House for further consideration. House Bill 4393, which would create the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, also passed the Senate and now moves back to the House for approval.  

Of the bills that passed, seven completed legislation including House Bill 4284, or the Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act. The bill protects pregnant women in the workplace from discrimination due to their pregnancy, child birth or associated medical conditions. 

House Bill 4256, which amends state police annual salary schedule, and House Joint Resolution 108, which is the Nonprofit Youth Organization Tax Exemption Support Amendment, were moved to the foot of bills on first reading. House Bill 4039 would authorize boards and agencies to promulgate legislative rules and was moved to the foot of bills on second reading. These bills will likely be taken up when the Senate reconvenes this evening. 

The following committees will meet today:

  • Health and Human Resources at 3:15 p.m. in room 451M
  • Education at 3:30 p.m. in room 451M
  • Government Organization at 3:30 p.m. in room 208W
  • Finance at 4 p.m. in room 451M
  • Judiciary at 4 p.m. in room 208W

The Senate is in recess until 6 p.m. 

UPDATE:

The Senate reconvened this evening to receive committee reports, adopt several House Concurrent Resolutions, advance 17 bills to second reading, advance one bill to third reading, pass two bills and complete legislation on five bills. House Bill 4256 was laid over on third reading.

Bills that completed legislation include Senate Bill 209, allowing special needs students to participate in graduation ceremonies, and House Bill 4175, creating the West Virginia Small Business Emergency Act.

One of the bills passed, House Bill 4363, was reconsidered by the Senate before passage. The bill would set up an informal dispute resolution process within the Department of Health and Human Resources for decisions which adversely impact behavior health providers.

House Bill 4343, which would create the West Virginia Project Launchpad Act, was one of the bills read a first time. The bill would allow the Governor to designate up to 10 geographic areas as economic development launch pads. 

The Senate is adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow

 

House Passes Occupational Safety and Health Administration Bill

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The House convened today to pass 11 bills, six of which completed legislative action.

In an effort to improve safety at construction sites, the House passed Senate Bill 376, which would require workers on public improvement work sites to complete an Occupational Safety and Health Administration-approved ten hour construction safety program. Senate Bill 397 would expand the scope of activities considered to be financial exploitation toward the elderly, a protected person or an incapacitated adult.

Senate Bill 387, which clarifies that duly authorized officers from the District of Columbia or other states have legal custody of their prisoners when traveling through West Virginia, completed legislation. Senate Bill 558 completed legislation as well, which would find and declare a moral obligation to pay the listed claims against state agencies with public moneys. Senate Bill 602 would require health care providers to wear identification badges when providing direct patient care. These bills now await the Governor’s signature.

There were 28 bills on second reading, including Senate Bill 252, which would allow certain expelled students to return to school through the Juvenile Drug Court, and House Bill 4015, the budget bill. There were 41 bills on first reading.

A citation was presented to recognize the Moorefield ten and 11 year old softball team.

 

The House is in recess until 5:45 p.m. today.

UPDATE: The House reconvened this evening to concur with Senate amendments and complete legislative action on six bills.

House Bill 4302 was one of the six bills to complete, which would allow the use of county election officials to conduct elections held for public schools and designate the county commission as the board of canvassers. House Bill 4393 would create the Dangerous Wild Animals Act, which would have a board to issue permits to own wild animals. House Bill 4496 would allow West Virginia State University to have access to 10 percent of the money deposited into the Research Trust Fund.

The House refused to concur with the Senate amendments on House Bill 4236, which would create the Sexual Assault Examination Network, and House Bill 4619, authorizing Innovation School Districts.

Senate Bill 359, removing hand canvassing requirements of electronic voting machine, had its second reading. Senate Bill 306, the budget bill, had its first reading.

The following committees will meet tomorrow:

  • House Finance at 9:30 a.m. in 460M

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

 

House Passes Water Resources Protection and Management Act

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The House of Delegates reconvened this evening after a recess to amend and pass Senate Bill 373, the Water Resources Protection and Management Act. This bill would change the definition of a large quantity user to a person who uses at least 300,000 gallons of water in 30 day period. It would require large quantity users to report water withdrawals annually and any agency that contributes to the funding of the steam gage network to notify the Public Service Commission and the USGS if they cannot maintain its level of funding. Drilling contractors and well owners would have to report the depth to groundwater of drilled wells. The Department of Environmental Protection would report annually to the Comission on the implementation of the State Water Resources Management Plan and survey results.

Senate Bill 373 would also require the registration of existing aboveground storage tanks and directs the Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection to regulate both new and existing aboveground storage tanks. The bill will be sent back to the Senate for the concurrence of the amendments. 

 

An additional five bills were passed, four of which have completed legislative action and are awaiting the Governor’s signature. Senate Bill 378 would add garbage trucks and other sanitation vehicles to the list of authorized emergency vehicles and require them to use flashing lights or other visual signals to indicate the presence of workers. House Bill 4067 would authorize the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety to promulgate legislative rules.

Other bills which completed  legislative action were House Bills 4304 and 4618. House Bill 4304 would provide rules for motor vehicles passing bicycles on roadways. House Bill 4618 would establishes the Transformative System of Support for Early Literacy to ensure all students read proficiently by the end of the 3rd grade.

The House concurred with the Senate amendment of House Bill 4175 and passed it with another amendment. This bill would create the West Virginia Small Business Emergency Act, providing financial assistance to small businesses in locations that have declared a state of emergency. It will be sent back to the Senate for concurrence and completion.

 

The House is adjourned until 12:00 p.m. tomorrow

Juror Qualification Bill Completes Legislation

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The Senate concurred and passed five Senate Bills that were amended and passed in the House. The following bills have now completed legislation – Senate Bill 90 would make preventing or interfering with a call to emergency service personnel a criminal offense, Senate Bill 314 relates to the appropriation of hotel occupancy tax proceeds to counties with no more than one hospital, Senate Bill 328 would terminate Strategic Research and Development Tax Credit, Senate Bill 331 relates to consumer’s sales, service and use tax, Senate Bill 405 would require judge’s permission to release juror’s qualification forms after a trial ends.

The Senate passed six bills on third reading that completed legislation. Additionally, the Senate passed three bills that now move back to the House for approval before completing legislation. Of the 18 bills that were read a second time, nine bills were amended and all were advanced to third reading.   

One of the resolutions that the Senate adopted today was Senate Resolution 47, which designates March as the American Red Cross Month. Senate Resolution 48, also adopted, recognized the 34th anniversary of the sister-state relationship of West Virginia with the Republic of China, Taiwan. 

The following committees will meet today:

  • Confirmations at 1 p.m. in room 208W
  • Government Organization at 2 p.m. in room 208W
  • Natural Resources at 2 p.m. in room 451M
  • Finance at 3 p.m. in room 451M
  • Judiciary at 3 p.m. in room 208W

The following committees will meet tomorrow:

  • Judiciary at 10 a.m. in room 208W
  • Finance at 10 a.m. in room 451M

The Senate is in recess until 5 p.m.  

Update 

The Senate reconvened at 6 p.m. to hear committee reports. There were 24 bills read a first time. 

The Senate is adjourned until 11 a.m. 

 

 

Underage Drinking Bill Completes Legislation in House

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The House convened today to pass eight bills, three of which completed legislative action.

House Bill 4402 was one of three bills to complete legislative action. Under this bill, those between 18 and 20 facing their first offense for underage drinking may be placed on probation. Upon completion of probation, charges may be dismissed and the person’s record may be expunged after a hearing.

Senate Bill 322 completed as well, which would require all state employees, employees of state institutions of higher education and the Higher Eduation Policy Commission receive pay at least twice per month. Senate Bill 408 would remove the three month good conduct condition as a prerequisite for parole and require the Parole Board to consider parole for an eligible regarldess of where they are confined.

Senate Bill 209 was amended and passed, which would permit special needs students to participate in graduation ceremonies. Senate Bill 457 would require that inmates in a regional jail have access to the same classes and programs that are offered in Division of Corrections facilities.

There were 12 bills on second reading, including Senate Bill 397, expanding the scope of activities considered financial exploitation of the elderly, and Senate Bill 602, requiring health care providers to wear identification badges. There were 31 bills on first reading.

A citation recognizing the American Red Cross was presented.

The following committees will meet today:

  • House Finance at 2 p.m. in 460M
  • House Judiciary at 2 p.m. in 410M
  • House Education at 3 p.m. in 434M

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

Senate Celebrates WVU Day and Bow Tie Tuesday

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When the Senate reconvened this morning the body adopted Senate Resolution 44, memorializing the life of Honorable Robert. K Holliday a former Senator and Delegate of the House.

Additionally, the Senate adopted Senate Resolution 46 which designated today West Virginia University and West Virginia University Extension Day.  

The Senate received messages from the House and amended Senate Bill 58, which relates to the basis of voidable marriages or annulments. The bill now moves back to the House for concurrence in order to complete legislation. Two bills completed legislation today. The first, Senate Bill 460 would permit the School of Osteopathic Medicine to invest in its own foundation and the second, House Bill 2165 would provide certain relatives of a deceased veteran five copies of his or her death certificate.  

Three bills were read a first time on committee reports. House Bill 4012, which relates to the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts, was read a first time and the second committee reference was dispensed with. The bill is now on second reading.  House Bill 4346 was read a first time prior to its second committee reference to the Judiciary Committee. This legislation would establish separate standards of performance for carbon dioxide emissions. House Bill 4449 was also read a first time, its second committee reference was dispensed with and was advanced to second reading. This bill proposes the continuous mining machines and underground haulage equipment use proximity detection systems and cameras for tax credit purposes. 

There were nine House Bills that were passed on third reading today. Of the bills that passed, five completed legislation – House Bill 4003 would grant dual jurisdiction to counties in order to enforce truancy policies, House Bill 4178 would make a supplementary appropriation to the Department of Commerce and WorkForce West Virginia, House Bill 4259 would extend time for the levying body of Sistersville in Tyler County, House Bill 4421 would allow lottery to pay prizes in other payment methods in addition to checks and House Bill 4445 would modify the definition of “battery and “domestic battery.” The other four bills were passed with amendments and now move back to the House for approval. 

The following committees will meet today:

  • Health and Human Resources at 1 p.m. in room 451M
  • Economic Development at 1:30 p.m. in room 208W 
  • Education at 2 p.m. in room 451M
  • Government Organization at 2 p.m. in room 208W
  • Finance at 3 p.m. in room 451M
  • Judiciary at 3 p.m. in room 451M

The following committees will meet tomorrow:

  • Labor at 9 a.m. in room 208W
  • Agriculture and Rural Development at 9:15 a.m. in room 451M

The Senate will reconvene at 5 p.m. 

Update

The Senate reconvened this evening to read 11 bills a first time prior to second committee references. One of the bills read a first time was Senate Bill 306, the Budget Bill.  

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

House Passes Bill Preventing Interference in Emergency Calls

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The House convened today to pass nine bills. Of the nine bills passed, four have completed legislative action.

Senate Bill 90 was passed, which would make it a criminal offense to intentionally interfere with or prevent a person from calling emergency service personnel. Senate Bill 405 would protect protect a juror’s private information by limiting the availability of juror questionnaire forms. These bills will be communicated to the Senate for the amendments to be considered.

House Bill 4384 was among the bills that completed legislative action. This bill would require teachers of students with exceptional needs to be present at an individualized education program meeting or to read and sign a copy of the individualized education program plan. Senate Bill 470, which would provide that completed grand jury questionnaire forms are confidential and can only be released from the clerk’s custody with the written permission of the circuit cour, completed legislative action as well.

There were six bills on second reading, including Senate Bill 373, relating to water resources protection, and Senate Bill 209, allowing special needs students to participate in graduation ceremonies. There were 15 bills on first reading.

A citation was presented recognizing today was WVU Extension Service Day.

The following committees will meet today:

  • House Finance at 1:30 p.m. in 460M
  • House Judiciary at 1:30 p.m. in 410M
  • House Education at 4 p.m. in 434M

The following committees will meet tomorrow:

  • House Judiciary at 8 a.m. in 410M

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

 

UPDATE: The House reconvened this evening to receive committee reports and to concur with the Senate amendments and complete legislative action on three bills.

House Bill 4151, relating to military members and their spouses who obtain licensure through professional boards, was one of the three bills to complete legislative action. House Bill 4301 passed as well, which would allow for the reciprocal use of hunting and fishing licenses with Kentucky on the Big Sandy and Tug Fork Rivers. House Bill 4437 would allow the Division of Juvenile Services to maintain trustee bank accounts, earnings and property for its residents and create a resident benefit fund for the welfare of those in juvenile facilities and for the benefit of victims.

The following committees will meet today:

  • House Judiciary 30 minutes after session in 410M
  • House Finance at 6:30 p.m. in 460M

The following committees will meet tomorrow:

  • House Agriculture and Natural Resources at 8:30 a.m. in 215E
  • House Finance at 8:30 a.m. in 410M

The House is adjourned until 11:30 a.m. tomorrow.

 

Veterans’ Death Certificate Bill Completes Legislation in House

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The House convened today to pass the Senate’s amendement on House Bill 2165, which completed its legislation. This bill would allow the State Registrar to supply two certified copies of the death certificate of a veteran or active service member at no cost within 30 days of death when requested by the executor or administrator of his or her estate. It now awaits approval by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin.

Senate Bill 460 passed the House with amendments and will be communicated back to the Senate. This bill would add West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine to the list of state institutions of higher education that are allowed to invest certain moneys with its foundation, limited at $25 million.

There were nine bills on second reading, including Senate Bill 12, relating to expedited partner therapy treatment, and Senate Bill 90, creating a criminal offense for interfering or preventing a call for the assistance of emergency service personnel. There were five bills on first reading.

House Resolution 13 was adopted, urging the United States Evironmental Protection Agency to develop guidelines that support the lead role of states in regulating carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants.

The following committees will meet today:

  • House Political Subdivisions immediately following the floor session in 215E
  • House Education at 3 p.m. in 434M
  • House Health and Human Resources at 3:30 p.m. in 215E
  • House Judiciary at 3:45 p.m. in 410M
  • House Finance at 4 p.m. in 460M

The following committees will meet tomorrow:

  • House Judiciary at 9:00 p.m. in 410M
  • House Finance at 9:30 a.m. in 460M
  • House Education at 4:00 p.m. in 434M

The House is in recess until 6 p.m. today.

 

 

UPDATE: The House reconvened following a recess to receive House committee reports.

 

The folowing committees will meet tonight:

  • House Finance at 7:00 p.m. in 460M
  • House Judiciary at 7:00 pm. in 410M

The House is adjourned until 11:00 a.m. tomorrow

 

 

 

Two Teacher Retirement Bills Read a First Time in Senate

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Three bills were read a first time during committee reports. House Bill 4221 and House Bill 4365, both relate to the teachers retirement system. House Bill 4375 relates to West Virginia Employee Retirement Accounts Program. 

The following committees will meet today:

  • Banking and Insurance will meet at 1:30 p.m. in room 208W
  • Agriculture and Rural Development will meet at 2 p.m. in room 208W
  • Finance will meet at 3 p.m. in room 451M
  • Judiciary will meet at 3 p.m. in room 208W

The following committees will meet tomorrow:

  • Interstate Cooperation will meet at 9 a.m. in room 451M
  • Transportation and Infrastructure will meet at 10 a.m. in room 451M

The Senate is in recess until 5 p.m.

 

UPDATE:

The Senate reconvened this evening to receive committee reports and to consider legislation. One bill, Senate Bill 499, completed legislation. The Senate also passed four bills, advanced nine bills to 3rd reading, and advanced 11 bills to 2nd reading.

Bills passed include, House Bill 4175, which would create the West Virginia Small Business Emergency Act. The bill was passed with amendments and will be sent back to the House for consideration.

The Senate is adjourned until 11:00 a.m. tomorrow

 

Vol. XXV Issue 7

Cheyenne DeBolt
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