The House reconvened today at 11 a.m., and three bills completed legislative action.

Among the bills completing legislation was Senate Bill 354. This bill will update the terms and procedures for notification after traffic crashes and completion of the required reports by investigating law-enforcement officers. Crash reports are now sent to the Division of Highways, not the Division of Motor Vehicles. The bill also replaces the word “accident” with the word “crash.” Research in highway safety reflects that “crash” is the term to describe motor vehicle collisions used in most states and encompasses a wider range of potential causes for motor vehicle crashes than does the term “accident.”

Other bills completing legislative action were Senate Bill 382, which will authorize the preparation and submission of geological reports incidental to oil and gas drilling, and Senate Bill 436, which will remove the Latin phrase “haec verba viz” and replace it with the translated English phrase “these words verbatim” to allow the reader to better understand the State Code requirements.

The following committees will meet today:
Education- 12:30 p.m. 434M
Finance- 1 p.m. 460M
Judiciary- 1:30 p.m. 410M
Government Organization- 2 p.m. 215E
Health and Human Resources- 4 p.m. 252M

The House will reconvene today at 6 p.m.

The House reconvened today at 11 a.m. and passed four bills, completing legislative action.

Senate Bill 514, which completed legislative action, will correct a reference in State Code, clarifying the controlled substances that are to be reported when a prescription is filled, or when the controlled substance is dispensed by a medical services provider.

Other bills completing legislative action include Senate Bill 553, which will extend the time for certain members of the Teachers Retirement System to purchase full credit for service in the Teachers Defined Contribution System, and Senate Bill 349, which will require licensed or registered child care centers to have an annually updated, written plan for evacuation in case of an emergency.

Also, the House honored the life of former Delegate Gene M. Ashley who passed away in May of 2009. Family members were escorted by several current delegates, including his son Delegate Bob Ashley, to receive the resolution.

The following committees will meet today:
Energy, Industry & Labor, Economic Development & Small Business- immediately following session in 460M
Government Organization- 30 min. after session 215E
Finance- 45 min. after session 460M
Judiciary- 1 p.m. 410M

The following committees will meet Monday:
Education- 9 a.m. 434M
Judiciary-9 a.m. 410M
Finance- 9:30 a.m. 460M

The House will reconvene today at 3 p.m.

UPDATE:
The House reconvened briefly at 3 p.m. to receive committee reports. The reports were referred to appropriate committees.

The House will reconvene at 11 a.m. Monday

The House reconvened today at 11 a.m. and passed Senate Bill 89 with a title amendment, which will be reconsidered by the Senate.

The bill would mandate reinstatement of chiefs and deputy chiefs to previously held positions within the paid police department after their term as chief has expired. It would also allow for the appointment of a deputy chief of police if city councils approve the position.

Additionally, eight Senate bills were advanced to third reading. Bills advanced included Senate Bill 349 , which would require licensed or registered child care centers to have an annually updated, written plan for evacuation in the event of an emergency.

Update: The House reconvened today at 5:30 p.m. to receive reports from House committees.

The following committees will meet today:
Judiciary- 1:30 p.m. 410M
Finance- 2 p.m. 460M
Roads and Transportation- 3 p.m. 215E
Health and Human Resources- 4 p.m. 215E

The following committees will meet tomorrow:
Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security- 8:30 a.m. 252M
Pensions- 9 a.m. 460M
Judiciary- 9 a.m. 410M
Natural Resources- 9:15 a.m. 215E
Government Organization- 30 min. after session- 215E
Finance- 1 p.m. 460M

The House will reconvene tomorrow at 11 a.m.

The House reconvened today at 2:30 p.m. and passed 33 bills during the afternoon session.

The House passed House Bill 4666, which would establish a grant program for substance abuse prevention. The Legislature wants to take “bold, aggressive action” against substance abuse. It also would create a special revenue account known as the “Prevention, Intervention, Treatment and Recovery Fund”, which would consist of gifts, grants, bequests, transfers, appropriations or other donations.

An amendment was made to the bill which created an additional position on the Alcohol and Drug Disbursement Board to be held by a member of the “recovered community.”

Also included in bills passed were House Bill 4485, which would increase penalties for passing a stopped school bus, and House Bill 4167, which would allocate five percent of coal severance taxes to the counties from which the resource originated.

Today was “crossover day” for the Legislature, meaning that all bills had to be out of the chamber from which they originated to continue in the legislative process. The House passed 42 bills today, and a total of 137 bills have been sent to the Senate for further consideration during this session.

The following committees will meet tomorrow:
Roads and Transportation- 9:15 a.m. 215E
Senior Citizen Issues- 10 a.m. 215E
Rules- 10:45 a.m. Speaker’s Office
Judiciary- 1 p.m. 410M
Finance- 2 p.m. 460M

The House will reconvene tomorrow at 11 a.m.