The Senate reconvened this morning and introduced six bills.
The six bills included Senate Bill 227, which would establish the Protect Children from Dangerous Lighters Act, and Senate Bill 228, which would ensure all children are able to attend school 180 days per year.
The following committee will meet Monday:
Pensions- 2 p.m.- 208W
The Senate will reconvene 11 a.m. Monday.
The Senate reconvened this afternoon and introduced ten bills and acknowledged today as Mineral County Day.
Bills included Senate Bill 218, which would allow early parole for certain inmates, and Senate Bill 221, which would allow municipalities to register vacant properties.
The Senate also honored Mineral County with a certificate to Mayor James E. Gilmore of Piedmont, commemorating today as Mineral County Day. He was accompanied by RoseAnn Maine, Mineral County assessor, and Janice LaRue, Mineral County commissioner.
The following committees will meet today:
Finance-3 p.m.- 451M
Education-2 p.m.- 451M
The following committee will meet tomorrow:
Economic Development-9 a.m.-451M
The Senate will reconvene 10 a.m. tomorrow.
This afternoon, the House of Delegates reconvened and introduced 11 bills, such as House Bill 4033, which relates to the management of motor vehicles and aircraft owned by the state, and House Bill 4036,which establishes the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission.
The House also adopted House Resolution 2, honoring the life of Don Redman, famous jazz musician and composer, and pioneering jazz arranger from Mineral County.
In honor of Don Redman and Mineral County Day, the Frankfort High School Jazz Band performed in the well area of the Capitol.
The following committees will meet today:
Finance-1 p.m.-460M.
Judiciary-1 p.m.-410M.
Government Organization-1:30 p.m.-215E.
The House stands adjourned until 11:00 a.m. tomorrow.
The House and Senate reconvened at 7:00 p.m. this evening for a joint session in the House Chamber for the Governor’s presentation of the 2010 State of the State Address.
Both the House and Senate met briefly following the Governor’s speech in order to introduce the Budget Bill.
Both chambers will reconvene tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.
On Wednesday, members of the Joint Committee on Finance were given several presentations regarding Federal Block grant funds. Presentations were given by the Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Bureau of Preventative Health and Preventative Services, the Bureau of Behavioral Health and Health Facilities and the Department of Maternal Child and Family Health, just to name a few.
The Bureau of Preventative Health and Preventative Services Federal Block grant is awarded annually. These funds will be used to provide technical assistance to local health departments, provide dental sealants for children in West Virginia and to provide quality assurance for public health labs.
The Bureau of Behavioral Health and Health Facilities Federal Block grant is used to provide resources for substance abuse prevention. Among other things, some of the funds will be used for women’s substance abuse treatment services. Members expressed concern regarding funding for substance abuse programs in regard to binge drinking specifically for college students. Certain members would like funding to be made available for these programs.
The Department of Maternal Child and Family Health is awarded funding through Title V. This funding is the only government money awarded to the Department. These funds provide many different services for the department including programs that support family well-being, family planning and newborn metabolic screening.
The West Virginia State Senate convened for the 2010 Legislative Session at noon today. Having ascertained a quorum, 212 bills were introduced.
Among the bills, Senate Bill 24 would prohibit the selling of tobacco in pharmacies, Senate Bill 145 would require insurers to provide full autism coverage and Senate Bill 167 would ban texting while driving.
The following committee will meet today:
Finance-2 p.m.- 460M
The following committees will meet tomorrow:
Finance-9:30 a.m.-451M
Judiciary-10:30 a.m.-208W
The Senate will reconvene at 6:45 p.m. tonight.
The House convened today at noon to begin the Second Regular Session of the 79th Legislature. The first order of business was the adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 1 , which extended a formal invitation to the Governor to deliver the State of the State address tonight at 7 p.m.
The House also introduced the first bills of the session such as House Bill 4001 which relates to water pollution control, as well as reintroduced carryover bills from the last regular session.
The official proceedings of the House of Delegates were streamed live on the web for the first time today. Daily floor sessions and committee meetings can be heard at http://www.legis.state.wv.us/live.cfm
The following committee will meet today:
Finance-2 p.m.- 460M
The following committees will meet tomorrow:
Finance-9 a.m.-460M
Judiciary-9 a.m.-410M
Government Organization-1:30 p.m.-215E
The House will reconvene at 6:45 p.m. tonight.
CHARLESTON – Legislative leaders have approved a 3.4 percent cut to the Legislature’s current fiscal year budget, trimming more than $870,000.
“As we prepared for the 2010 legislative session, we kept in mind the state’s fiscal condition, and were already making some cutbacks,” House Speaker Rick Thompson said. “We’re willing to do our part to ensure a balanced budget.”
Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin added, “Our state government is fortunate to be in much better shape financially than most states, thanks to years of prudent budgeting, but we’re still feeling the pinch.
“Distributing the cuts evenly, across the board, is only fair.”
The leaders have agreed to cut the Legislature’s current budget by 3.4 percent – a total $877,862 decrease this year. That’s a $336,565 reduction for the House, a $230,921 cut for the Senate and a $310,375 cut for the Legislature’s Joint Committee operations.
Both the President and the Speaker said the reductions should not negatively affect the day-to-day operations of the Legislature. There have been several job vacancies that were not filled, and both houses are making changes to reduce the amount of printing that takes place during session.
In addition, they decided not to hold any interim meetings outside of Charleston in 2009 – something the Legislature usually does at least once a year.
Meshea L. Poore of Charleston took the Legislative Oath of Office today within the House of Delegates chamber with dignitaries, friends and family filling the chamber to show their support.
Sworn in by State Supreme Court Justice Margaret L. Workman, Poore replaces Carrie Webster, who resigned her position earlier this month to become a Kanawha County Circuit Court judge.
Poore is an attorney working in Charleston and served as a Kanawha County public defender prior to starting her own law firm. She is a member of the West Virginia and Alabama State Bar Associations, and has served on the board of West Virginia Legal Aid.
Poore received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Howard University in Washington D.C. and a law degree from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, La.
The Capital High School graduate was born and raised on Charleston’s West Side. Pictured from left to right are Justice Workman, parents Raymond and Gale Poore and Delegate Meshea L. Poore.
As of 4 p.m., Wednesday, January 20, 2010, the eighth day of the 79th Legislature’s 2nd Regular Session, 281 bills have been introduced in the Senate. A sampling of bills introduced include:
Senate Bill 9 would allow Marshall University and West Virginia University to create “community schools” to serve as an alternative to normal public school education. Community schools would teach any grade K – 12 and would not charge tuition.
Senate Bill 24 would prohibit pharmacies from selling tobacco products of any kind. If a pharmacy violates this bill, their pharmacy license would not be eligible for renewal.
Senate Bill 37 would require the board of education to hire the most qualified person to supervise and regulate public school extracurricular activities.
Senate Bill 43 would allow police officers to run for political office in any municipality except for the one in which they work.
Senate Bill 52 would prohibit the use of a handheld cell phone while driving. Violations would be a secondary offense and would not result in points deducted from the offender’s license.
Senate Bill 58 would allow Sunday hunting on licensed hunting preserves, providing the hunter has all the necessary licenses.
Senate Bill 63 would allow mixed martial arts competitions to occur in West Virginia. Mixed martial arts is a full contact fighting sport that incorporates various fighting disciplines. The proposed legislation grants rule-making authority to the State Athletic Commission.
Senate Bill 83 would require the appropriate governmental entity to retain and preserve biological evidence found during an investigation for DNA testing. The evidence would be kept for the length of time a defendant remains in custody. The bill would also create a fine between $500 and $5,000, as well as possible imprisonment, for anyone who knowingly tampers with or destroys biological evidence.
Senate Bill 113 would require certain health insurance policies to cover acupuncture treatment performed by a licenced acupuncturist.
Senate Bill 115 would increase the state tax credit for citizens adopting a nonfamily member from $2,000 to $4,000.
Senate Bill 118 would require parent permission for any minor who wanted to use a tanning device including sun lamps, tanning beds and tanning booths. The parent would be required to sign a permission slip stating he/she has read and understood the dangers associated with tanning and agreeing the minor wear protective eyewear.
Senate Bill 145 would require insurers to cover the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of Autism disorder.
Senate Bill 176 would prohibit the installation of Automated Teller Machines (ATM) in establishments with video lottery machines. If the video lottery machine is in a building in which other businesses reside, the ATM cannot be within 50 feet of the video lottery machine.
Senate Bill 182 would discontinue tolls on the West Virginia Turnpike by 2020. This would happen as a result of the bonds required to build and maintain the turnpike being paid.
Senate Bill 218 would make inmates eligible for parole if they have completed an advanced rehabilitation plan. Eligible inmates must have no record of disciplinary rule violations, and must not be serving a sentence for a violent crime or a crime against a child. Previously, inmates had to serve either their minimum term or one fourth of their term before they were eligible for parole.
Senate Bill 231 would provide for a tax deduction for citizens who have spayed or neutered their pets. The deduction is limited to a maximum of three pets per household per year.
Senate Bill 234 would increase the penalties for corrections employees who have sexual relations with inmates. The mandatory jail sentence would change from between one and five years to between 10 and 25 years and the fine would increase from a maximum of $5,000 to a maximum of $10,000.
