The House passed six bills today and advanced one to third reading for the next floor session. Along with these bills, 21 were introduced.

House Bill 2757 was passed after much debate. This bill would provide for the evaluation of professional personnel in public schools. The evaluations would take place the first three years of the employment of personnel. By the fourth year if the employee has not received any unsatisfactory evaluations, the employee will no longer undergo the evaluations.

A bill that would remove the 12-month limitation on certain agreements was passed. House Bill 2708 would delete the limitation on agreements between or among law-enforcement agencies. This would also permit any existing agreements between different agencies to remain intact unless officially terminated.

House Bill 2936 was passed today in committee substitute form. This bill would change the day of the canvassing votes for the primary election. The date would be changed from the Friday following the election to the Monday following the election.

The House also passed House Bill 2368, House Bill 2663, House Bill 2787, and House Bill 2871. Each bill that was passed will be sent to the Senate for further consideration.

The following committees will meet today:
Political Subdivisions– 1 p.m.- 215E
Constitutional Revisions– 2 p.m.- 410M
Health and Human Resources– 4 p.m.- 215E

The following committees will meet tomorrow:
Finance– 9 a.m.- 460M

The House will reconvene Thursday at 11 a.m.

The House celebrated the many achievements of 12-year old Jeffery Brown today.

Along with being an honor roll student and avid band member at Shortline Middle School, Brown has also received many awards for his horseback riding skills. He was the first West Virginia youth to ride the C&O canal and the first West Virginia youth to be on the Best of American by Horseback television program.

Brown also took first place points in the American Competitive Trail Association and is an active member of the Wetzel County Farm Bureau. Brown received this honor for showing a combination of academic excellence and champion sportsmanship.

The House also passed one bill today. House Bill 2864 would create a misdemeanor crime for the first and second degree of unlawful constraint of an individual. The bill outlines the definition of the first and second offense for this crime. The bill was sent to the Senate for further consideration.

House Bill 2787 was sent to third reading for tomorrow’s floor session. The bill was advanced in committee substitute form and would transfer the licensing of private security services from the Secretary of the State to the Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Along with this bill, House Bill 2368, House Bill 2663, House Bill 2708 , House Bill 2757, House Bill 2871 and House Bill 2936 were advanced to third reading for the next floor session.

The following committees will meet today:

Finance– 1:30 p.m- 460M
Judiciary– 1:30 p.m.- 410M

The following committees will meet tomorrow:
Agriculture– 8:30 a.m.- 215E
Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security– 9 a.m.- 460M
Natural Resources– 9:15 a.m.- 215E
Banking and Insurance– 10 a.m.- 215E
Pensions and Retirement– 10 a.m.- 460M
Energy, Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business– 1 p.m.- 460M
Political Subdivisions– 1 p.m.- 215E
Constitutional Revisions– 2 p.m.- 410M
Roads and Transportation– 2 p.m.- 215E
Senior Citizen Issues– 3 p.m.- 215E

The House will reconvene at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

Today in the House 27 bills were introduced and six bills were passed. Along with those bills, one was sent to third reading for the next floor session.

House Bill 2750 would issue an order to temporarily or permanently end a parent-child relationship in the presence of sexual assault. This bill would allow a judge to make sexual assault or sexual abuse an additional consideration when deciding whether to remove a child from a home. This bill was sent to the Senate for further consideration.

A bill that would authorize the Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists to require licensing was also passed. House Bill 2503 would provide that these licenses be present for government identification and would authorize the board to retain all the information. The Senate will further discuss this bill.

House Bill 2752 would increase the maximum age for persons applying for appointment for the police force. This bill would increase the age from 35 to 40 years old for persons applying for a position on the police force in a Class I or Class II city. The bill was sent to the Senate for review.

Along with these bills, Senate Bill 200 and House Bill 2860 were also passed. House Bill 2864 was sent to its third reading for the next floor session.

The following committee meetings will meet today:
Finance– 1:30 p.m.- 460M
Judiciary– 1:30 p.m.- 410M
Finance– 4 p.m.- House Chamber
Health and Human Resources– 4 p.m.- 215E

The following committees will meet tomorrow:
Finance– 9 a.m.- 460M
Judiciary– 9 a.m.- 410M

The House will reconvene tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Today in the House five bills were passed and six were sent to third reading on the floor.

Among those bills, the House adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 17, which sets up joint rules for both chambers. The House adopted this resolution with an amendment to define the term “presiding officer”. This amended bill will be sent back to the Senate for their review.

House Bill 2562 was passed today in the House in committee substitute form. This bill would legalize the sport of mixed martial arts in West Virginia. The bill also specifies the licensing and regulatory procedures of the sport.

A bill that would require the West Virginia Enhanced 911 Council to propose procedures was passed as well. The committee substitute for House Bill 2013 would set up procedures dealing with Emergency Medical Dispatch.

The House also passed Senate Bill 184. This bill is now completed and is awaiting the Governor’s signature. Senate Bill 342 was passed by the House, with an amendment. This bill was sent back to the Senate for their consideration.

The following committee will meet today:
Finance– 12:30 p.m.- 460M

The following committees will meet Monday:
Finance– 1:30 p.m.- 450M
Finance– 4:00 p.m.- House Chambers
Health and Human Resources– 4:00 p.m.- 215E

The House will reconvene at 11:00 a.m. on Monday.

The date has officially been set for the special election to choose the Governor for the state of West Virginia.

The House passed a bill issuing the special election to be set for Oct. 4. House Bill 2853 was amended by the Senate and passed back to the House. The bill has now become a completed piece of legislation and will set up a primary election on May 14 and the special election to be held on Oct.4.

Along with the completion of the election bill, the House honored an award-winning marching band. The Princeton Tiger High School Marching band is one of the top-ranked bands in West Virginia. As the recipient of two grand champions awards, they have been invited to play at the Walt Disney Magic Kingdom in Florida this April.

The House also passed a bill to remove outdated language dealing with sunshine language. House Bill 2804 will remove any old language that would be subject to sunshine laws, which allow privileged information available to the public.

House Bill 2562 was read for the second time in the House. This bill would legalize the sport of mixed martial arts in the state of West Virginia. The bill sets forth the regulations within the state and makes the foundation for the sport to become legal. The will be read for the third time during the next floor session.

Four other bills were read for the second time today and advanced to third reading. Among those bills were, Senate Bill 184, Senate Bill 342, House Bill 2013 and House Bill 2554.

The following committee meetings will meet today:
Judiciary– 1:15 p.m.- 410M
Finance– 1:30 p.m.- 460M
Education– 2:00 p.m.- 434M
Government Organization– 2:00 p.m.- 215E

The following committee meetings will meet tomorrow:
Finance– 12:30 p.m.- 460M

The House will reconvene tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.