As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 25th, 2009, the 43rd Day of the Regular Session, 1,340 bills have been introduced in the House of Delegates. Of those, 73 have passed and have been sent to the Senate for its consideration. Some bills passed this week were:

House Bill 2401 would provide for the expiration of the alternative minimum tax. The tax would be nullified and have no further effect for tax years after January 1, 2010.

House Bill 2541 would include poultry among those domesticated farm animals that would make the owner liable for damages those creatures cause on other peoples’ property.

House Bill 2952 would clarify that a terroristic threat is a felony regardless of intent to actually commit the threatened act. “Terrorist act” would be defined as an act that is likely to result in serious bodily injury or damage to property or the environment and is intended to intimidate or coerce the civilian population. It would also include attempting to influence the policy of a branch or level of government by intimidation or coercion, affect the conduct of a branch or level of government and to retaliate against a branch or level of government for a policy or its conduct.

House Bill 2968 would require the State Fire Commission to propose rules for approval by the Legislature to provide standard safe practices for the design, construction, location, installation, maintenance and operation of liquefied petroleum gas systems, as established by the National Fire Protection Association Standard 58. Training standards and qualifications must also be provided for persons who install or maintain liquefied petroleum gas systems as established by the National Propane Gas Association’s Certified Employee Training Program.

House Bill 2413 would raise the upper level age restriction for new hires for certain law enforcement agencies from 35 to 45 years of age. This bill would allow for persons who are hired at age 45 to secure a 20-year tenure before retiring at age 65.

House Bill 2771 would require contractors to submit documentation that they have complied with state regulations prior to the final payment for their work. This bill would define that a contract under this section would have a price floor set at $50,000. The bill would also not require employees who must submit to federal Department of Transportation drug testing to submit to further drug testing. The bill requires a contractor to submit yearly documentation to the awarding agency on its drug-free workplace policy.

House Bill 2836 would establish zones of educational innovation that would enable faculty members to collaboratively create and implement initiatives that would have West Virginia schools meeting the needs of the 21st Century. Currently these improvements are restrained and/or restricted by policies issued by the state board or the West Virginia Code. With the passing of this bill, current restrictions would be repealed and schools would be able to begin implementation initiatives they see fit for the improvement of education.

House Bill 2884 would establish a public-private state long-term care partnership program with the purpose of reducing Medicaid costs for long-term care, by encouraging the purchase of private long-term care insurance policies. These private insurance policies would be covered under long-term care insurance partnerships with the state.

House Bill 2958 would increase the fines for a trespassing conviction to no less than $100 for the first offense, no less than $500 for the second offense, and no less than $1,000 for the third offense. Current law set the fines at $100 to $500 no matter which offense.

House Bill 3066 clarifies the supervision requirements for elevator apprentices under elevator safety. Under this law, a person would not be able to construct, install, alter, service, repair or maintain elevators or related conveyances covered by current law, unless he or she has a license issued by the Commissioner of Labor.

House Bill 3074 would allow the Secretary of State to notify people with delinquent taxes by way of certified mail. Currently, the Secretary of State is only authorized to carry out this action through registered mail. This bill would save the state $1,200/year.

House Bill 3086 would permit home incarceration supervisors to carry handguns in the course of their official duties. The bill would require that before such supervisors may carry handguns they must meet specialized qualifications established by the Governor’s Committee on Crime, Delinquency and Correction, including the successful completion of handgun training and a minimum of four hours of training in handgun safety. The bill also exempts these supervisors from handgun licensing requirements and states that supervisors are not law-enforcement officers.

House Bill 3229 would create the Science and Research Council. This council would be charged with increasing the capacity of the state and its state institutions of higher education to attract, implement and utilize cutting-edge, competitive research funds and infrastructure. The Science and Research Council would replace the EPSCoR State Advisory Council and would consist of 13 members.