As of 4 p.m., Wednesday, January 25, 2012, the 15th day of the 80th Legislature’s 2nd Regular Session, 993 bills have been introduced in the House. Of those, 11 passed this week and have been sent to the Senate for consideration. The bills passed by the House this week include:
House Bill 2533 would make all nominating certificates public record, available upon request from either the Secretary of State or the clerk of the county commission. The bill would require that the Secretary of State verify the signatures on those certificates of candidates seeking offices covering more than one county.
House Bill 4003 would clarify the law governing the duties of professional licensing boards. The bill would modify who has the authority to call meetings and administer oaths; and provide that persons who report violations in good faith are not subject to civil damages. The bill would also permit these boards to issue notices of cease and desist and to apply to the circuit court for appropriate relief.
House Bill 4072 relates to county board of education meetings, covering regular and special meetings, public hearings on budgets, member compensation and membership in the WV School Boards Association. The bill would remove the requirement for county boards to meet on the first Monday of July every year, but retain the requirement that it meet upon any other dates as provided by law. The specific provision that county boards must meet on the first Monday of July following each biennial primary election is not affected.
House Bill 4078 would extend certain deadlines mandated actions regarding higher education personnel.
House Bill 4097 would create a hair stylist license. The bill would add a definition of “hair styling” and “hair stylist.” The hair stylist license would be independent of existing barber of cosmetology licenses.
A Sampling of the Bills Introduced in the House
House Bill 4124 would make online impersonation for the purposes of harming, intimidating, threatening or defrauding a criminal offense. The bill would define any person who knowingly and without consent impersonates another person on an Internet website or by other electronic means, for any of the purposes previously listed, as guilty of a misdemeanor. Those guilty would be fined $250-$1,000, confined in jail up to a year or both fined and confined.
House Bill 4127 would designate August 7 as a special memorial day to be known as Purple Heart Recognition Day. The day would serve to honor all West Virginians who were wounded or killed in action while serving for the United States Armed Forces.
House Bill 4246 seeks to create the “West Virginia Companion Animal Protection Act,” which would generally govern the manner in which animals are to be treated by sheltering agencies and rescue groups. The bill would provide animal care standards, including humane treatment and killing of animals; requires record keeping; and among other things, provides for court mandate procedure to compel compliance with animal care standards.
House Bill 4249 would reduce utility rates for low-income residential customers. The bill would provide reduced utility rates for any residential customer receiving Social Security supplemental security income (SSI), temporary assistance for needy families (TANF), temporary assistance for needy families-unemployed parents program (TANF-UP), assistance from the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) or Social Security disability insurance (SSDI).
House Bill 4260 would elaborate upon and clear up a similar bill passed during the 2011 regular session relating to insurance coverage for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, which requires insurers to provide coverage for the treatment of autism.
House Bill 4265 would require flowback plans for all work on oil and gas wells and would regulate the proper disposal of drilling and mud. Plans would include a flowback tank with a closed loop system that prevents the release of volatile organic compounds and fugitive pollutants into the environment. It would regulate the use of flowback pits.
House Bill 4290 would create the “Keep Jobs in West Virginia Act.” The bill would prohibit public agencies from awarding contracts to vendors working outside the United Sates and would require vendors to certify that all future work will be performed within the United States.
In this afternoon’s floor session the Senate passed six bills and introduced 11. The Senate also adopted Senate Resolution 14, which honors Pineville Volunteer Fire Department for their heroic actions while saving the life of Marcia McKinney, who was trapped on the second story of the fully engulfed house. 
At the start of today’s session, Delegate Armstead welcomed Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito to the the floor. Following that, the House went on to regular business and passed two bills. 
The House gave a long standing applause in honor of former prisoner of war, Jessica Lynch, today during session. Lynch was visiting the Capitol today to serve as ambassador for the Imagination Library program. 
Today marked the 9th annual Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol. Young research talent from across the state filled the Rotunda and hallways, showcasing posters on research in areas ranging from studies of how odors impact stress levels to biomass as fuel to the study of nanoparticles.
The House passed four bills and introduced 22 in a brief floor session this morning.