House Finance met this morning.

Senate Bill 29 increases the salaries of all justices and judges in the state.

Senate Bill 228 requires the Department of Human Services to provide child welfare workers with mobile technology that allows them to conduct investigations and create digital records. Technology will automatically upload updates to the system.

Senate Bill 231 reorganized the state’s addiction care system into a value-based continuum of care and incentivized coordination, integration, and accountability for recovery success.

Senate Bill 389 was amended. The amended bill would provide a corporation net income tax credit for the qualified rehabilitation of buildings.

Senate Bill 587 adjusts the salary schedules for elected county officials and eliminates duplicative budget certification by the State Auditor’s office.

Senate Bill 724 removes the requirement that home confinement officers be certified law enforcement officers to participate in the EMS retirement system. The bill allows EMS officers participating in PERS to begin participating in the EMS retirement system.

Senate Bill 950 repeals mileage and expenses for judges.

Senate Bill 1065 was heard by the committee, but the motion to advance to markup and passage failed.

Senate Bill 144 was tabled.

Senate Bill 570 is a supplemental appropriation that grants the Department of Health Central Office spending authority for the Rural Health Transformation Program.

Senate Bill 392 reduces personal income taxes and increases the excise tax on e-cigarettes and vape products to $1.20 tax per cartridge or container.

The House Education Committee met this afternoon.

Senate Bill 63 would create the Sustaining Opportunities for Academics in Rural Schools Act. This act would provide support to rural communities to have access to local schools, prevent unnecessary consolidation, and provide financial and structural support to in-person public charter schools serving remote areas. This bill was reported to the floor.

Senate Bill 899 would permit teachers who have worked 15 years in their school setting to be certified to work as school principals. This bill was reported to the floor.

Senate Bill 502 would create the Women’s Collegiate Sports Protection Act. This act would allow a higher education institution to establish a women’s athletics endowment to support women’s collegiate sports programs. This bill was taken up for immediate consideration and was advanced to the floor.

Senate Bill 1077 would require vocational education agriculture programs to be offered to all students. This bill was advanced to markup and passage.

The House Judiciary Committee met this morning.

Senate Bill 4 would require bystanders to stand back 30ft from first responders, after receiving a warning and acting in a way that impedes, harasses, or threatens a first responder. A person who violates this is guilty of a misdemeanor and, if convicted, will be fined at least $50 but not more than $500, confined in jail for up to a year, or both fined and confined. This bill was reported to the floor.

Senate Bill 59 would change voter eligibility and residency requirements for West Virginia. Some of these changes include defining “legal resident” as a person who resides in the state, county, or municipality in which he or she offers to vote, and has an intent to remain in the state, county, or municipality indefinitely. This bill was reported to the floor.

Senate Bill 182 would allow counties the ability to make more than one minor boundary adjustment every two years. This bill was reported to the floor.

Senate Bill 200 would increase criminal penalties and fines for assault on government officials, law enforcement officers, and police animals. This bill was reported to the floor.

Senate Bill 440 would prohibit the delivery of items to help someone escape from federal correctional facilities, in addition to the existing entities spelled out in code. This bill also adds telecommunication devices, such as a phone, as an item that could aid escape. This bill also increases the crime penalty for transporting a phone or other telecommunication device into a jail. This bill was reported to the floor.

Senate Bill 481 would change the code pertaining to voting precincts to allow for machines to be used for multiple precincts that are located close together. The purpose of this bill is to decrease lines at polling locations. This bill was reported to the floor.

Senate Bill 531 would establish the First Amendment Preservation Act. This act would prohibit state agencies or any kind of organization receiving state funding from entering into a contract or agreement with a media reliability bias monitor. A media reliability bias monitor is any private entity why is rating news organizations on some kind of criteria, whether it be political leanings, misinformation, or disinformation, etc. An example provided in committee was an organization such as NewsGuard. This bill was reported to the floor.

Senate Bill 651 would allow the State Auditor to engage a private auctioneer to sell certain tax-delinquent properties. It requires the highest bidder to pay the buyer’s fee to the private auctioneer. This bill was laid over.

Senate Bill 723 would clarify that law enforcement in the state can cooperate with law enforcement in bordering states.

Senate Bill 800 would clarify and change several sections of state policy regarding jury service. Some of these changes include administrative directors being appointed to handled remove names of people who have previously served on jury duty, create a list to be provided to their county clerk of which jurors are to be chosen from, and remove the “jury box.” This bill was reported to the floor.

Senate Bill 928 would add new code that would allow for separate licensing and manufacturing of “low-proof spirit alcohol products.” Low-proof spirit alcohol products mean any alcoholic liquor beverage drink, other than wine, beer, or nonintoxicating beer, containing 1.5% ABV or more, but not more than 15.5 % ABV, mixed with drinkable water, fruit juices, flavoring, or coloring materials, other alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages or other ingredients in a solution, which are packaged in containers up to 25 fluid ounces. This bill was rejected by the committee. 

Senate Bill 937 would establish a community-based child welfare system, also known as Kyneddi’s Law. This bill would change the CPS system to be a community-based program in Berkeley and Jefferson County, and would eventually phase in all counties into the system. This would privatize the system, resulting in case management and services being managed by a contracted provider. Court proceedings will still be managed by the CPS. This bill was reported to the floor.

The House Health and Human Resources Committee met this afternoon.

Senate Bill 44 would allow for the sale of homemade food items, as long as they have the necessary permit for cottage food production. This sale can only be distributed directly to the consumer. This bill was advanced to the floor.

SB 742 would change the procedures of involuntary hospitalization. This bill would permit an authorized physician to order a 72-hour involuntary hold if the physician determines an individual is mentally ill and likely to cause serious harm to themselves or others, without first contacting a list of specific individuals. This bill was sent to the committee on the Judiciary.

This bill would also extend the time frame to file a mental hygiene petition from 24 hours to 72 hours following hospitalization.

Senate Bill 906 would allow for the prescription of crystalline polymorph psilocybin, as long as adhering to FDA recommendations. This bill was taken up for immediate consideration and advanced to the floor.